Bear with him: Man catches attention for hugging big bears

Bear hugs are nothing. Jim Kowalczik hugs bears. Kowalczik lies on the ground as his 680-kilogram bear buddy, Jimbo, rests a heavy paw on his waist. He feeds Jimbo a marshmallow from his mouth and laughs as a big bear tongue slobbers on his ear.

Kowalczik and his wife, Susan, have cared for Jimbo for almost 23 years, since he first came to the couple's upstate New York haven for injured or unwanted animals as a bottle-feeding cub.

"He'll play with you all day if you have the time," Kowalczik says after a recent horseplay session, adding that it's fortunate the bear doesn't throw his weight around casually. "If he lays on you, you've got a problem."