The Story of Brutus

by Casey Anderson

The heart-warming story of the incredible friendship between National Geographic star Casey Anderson and an 800-pound grizzly bear named Brutus, as seen on The Oprah Winfrey Show , Animal Planet, and Good Morning America . Casey Anderson, the host of National Geographic’s Expedition Grizzly , met a month-old bear cub in a wildlife preserve in 2002, whom he affectionately named Brutus. Little Brutus was destined to remain in captivity or, more likely, even euthanized due to overpopulation at the preserve. Anderson, already an expert in animal rescue and rehabilitation, just could not let that happen to Brutus, who looked like a "fuzzy Twinkie." From the beginning it was clear something special existed between the two. And so, Anderson built the Montana grizzly encounter in Bozeman, Montana, especially for Brutus, so that he, and others like him, could grow up "being a bear." And so the love story began.

When together, Anderson and Brutus will wrestle, swim, play, and continue to act as advocates for grizzly protection and education, be it through documentaries like Expedition Grizzly , appearances on Oprah or Good Morning America , or in this inspiring book, which promises to be an intimate look into Anderson's relationship with Brutus and a call to action to protect these glorious animals and the natural world they live in.

The Story of Brutus proves that love and friendship knows no bounds and that every care must be taken to protect one of nature's noblest creatures. 16 pages of color photographs

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Nature, Biology, Memoir

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2010

Reviews

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of Brutus is great. This is a good educational book especially for outdoors people.
Casey is a hero for grizzlies. The Grizzly Bear Encounter is an excellent venue for people to actually see grizzlies.

I felt that a lot of stories that were kind of half told. He kind of glossed over injuries and I would have liked to find out about his wife. He obviously had a good relationship with his father but didn't say much about Mom or his wife

[Amy VerStrate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been to the Montana grizzly encounter and have met Brutus and Casey. It was an incredible experience and I admire the work the Casey does for these wonderful creatures! The hook was great and very well written! Thorough enjoyed it!

[Shori Horak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story

[Cayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Casey Anderson and his lifelong connection with animals, in particular the Grizzly bear Brutus that he has raised. Brutus' mother was a bear that had been raised in captivity and he was born there, but the center got too full so it was either Casey take him or they'd have to put him down. So Casey, having formed an instant bond with Brutus took him and eventually founded the Montana Grizzly Encounter a sanctuary for Grizzly bears. Where “All of our bears were born in unfortunate captive situations and could NEVER be released into the wild. The bears have been rescued from often inhumane captive situations all over the U.S.” This from their website www.grizzlyencounter.com the official site for the sanctuary. (Brutus has his own website too at www.brutusthebear.com)
I thought the book was going to focus on primarily on Casey and Brutus, but it really is focused on the experiences that Casey has had in his whole life with animals and the way those experiences have helped him in his relationship with Brutus.
He has definitely had some very interesting experiences but what I liked was that he’d talk about how once when he was 19 a captive pack of wolves tore him up good, but then he’d immediately say and “this is what I learned from the experience”. He has a great relationship with animals but never forgets that they are WILD animals still. They need to be treated with a certain cautious respect borne out of experience. He really reiterates the fact that he always tries to treat the animals like they are animals and communicates with them in ways that the animals can understand. Body language and tone and that sort of thing. There are a few interesting passages when he talks about how after Brutus was a couple of years old he started trying to challenge his “dad” Casey, and how Casey would be running after him screaming and roaring at Brutus to put him back in his place. Then we’d read about how in the wild mother bears sometimes have to roar and chase their cubs to make sure they still know who is boss.
Another thing I loved about this book was that you can tell it is Casey’s life goal to EDUCATE people about all wild animals and to protect the Grizzly Bears. Most of which serious encounters with people could have been different if the people had a little bit of education about the animals. I like that he wants to continually help the public have a better understanding of the wild animals and therefore protect the animals in one of the major ways by changing people’s opinions about them. This was a nice quick little gem that I randomly picked off the library shelf and I am glad I did.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that animal books are popular lately, and being an animal lover, I've picked up a few. The Story of Brutus: My Life with Brutus the Bear and the Grizzlies of North America, by Casey Anderson, is the story of Anderson, who works with National Geographic, and his "pet" grizzly bear, Brutus. Anderson has raised Brutus from babyhood, and he takes us through their adventures. Anderson is really good with animals, and yet he details some harrowing stories: the time Brutus almost escaped a trailer and had to ride to his destination in the front seat with Anderson driving; the time Anderson was attacked by a mountain lion and stitched up his own hand, etc.

The book was a fascinating look into how animals live, and Anderson obviously loves them and wants to help the plight many of them are in, facing extinction through no fault of their own. However, while I read I realized that my love of animals doesn't extend nearly as far as the author's - I have no desire to hike for hours through knee-deep snow in order to make a great grizzly sighting, etc.

I also kept having the uncomfortable feeling that Anderson was just one adventure away from demise, a la Steve Irwin. While he kept emphasizing that wild animals are just that - wild animals - and must be understood, I felt like I was listening to an old Steve Irwin show. But I certainly wish Anderson the best; he has a great heart for wild animals and I enjoyed this book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One can be forgiven for thinking that this book is the biography of one Brutus the grizzly bear; the title is somewhat misleading. The Story of Brutus is more of a practical guide to animal behavior. Casey Anderson has worked in wild-animal sanctuaries all of his adult life. He has spent a lifetime observing, and cultivating relationships with, North America's large wild predators. Brutus is a particularly good-humored grizzly whom Anderson adopted from a sanctuary as a young cub.

Anderson's adventures with grizzlies make for an excellent, lively read. Brutus stories -- frequently wildly entertaining -- are interspersed throughout the text as examples of bear behavior. As someone who frequently hikes in bear country, I feel like the book teaches quite a bit on how to avoid animal conflicts, and what to do if conflict does occur.

But the best parts of the book are when Anderson shares his observations on animal relationships, both with humans and with other animals. Anderson views wildlife in a refreshingly unconventional way. His ideas on human-animal interaction are seriously fascinating. And yes, the conclusion of the book may have blown my mind a little bit. I recommend this book highly for anyone who wants to learn more about grizzlies and the land they inhabit.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not such a fan of animals. I like the zoo, but I really don't like pet-type animals at all. The author talks about how some people just have a good animal vibe - animals automatically like them and feel safe with them. And others when they walk into the park all the animals' hair stand on end and all the animals are tense and growling. Anyway, I'm definitely the latter type of person and I still really liked this book.

The friendship of Casey and Brutus, a grizzly bear, is not told in chronological fashion, but it wasn't confusing or frustrating. Reading this book really felt like the author was just sitting on the couch with me telling me stories. I really enjoyed that, it was a very different vibe from the book. The photos in the book are amazing!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Really enjoyed reading this book. We watch Casey Anderson's show America the Wild as a family. My husband and I had the opportunity to go on a Summer Expedition with Casey and his crew which was amazing. If you ever get the opportunity I highly recommend it. During the expedition Casey told us many stories and I found many of those stories in the book. The book is written in a very laid back style very similar to how he told the stories in person. It was great to hear how his experiences with animals has shaped his life and to see how he uses these experiences to teach others to respect and live side by side with wildlife. Great book with funny stories :)

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Story of Brutus:  My Life With Brutus the Bear and the Grizzlies of North America by Casey Anderson  (Pegasus Books 2010) (599.784).  The author raised a bear from a cub.  He says that Tim Treadwell died because he knew no grizzly body language. He believes that Alaskan brown bears are more tolerant of humans and much less dangerous than Yellowstone grizzlies. My rating: 6/10, finished 2011.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting, but I was expecting it to be more about Brutus and less about Casey so I found myself skimming a lot of it. You can tell he's not a writer, but there were some fun stories and I did really enjoy all the parts about Brutus, just wish there were more of them!

[Mark Matzke · Rating 3 out of 5]

hardly a focused book, but enough cute anecdotes to suffice. My son and I love Brutus and the "Expedition Wild" show

[Michele Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. About grizzly bears. As a camper/hiker, good to know.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it Casey! Way to go!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I also could really relate to the author and how he grew up and feels about wildlife.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughed, cried, and also learned a lot. We met Casey and Brutus at the Montana Grizzly Encounter last spring and was nice to find out more of the story.

[Fredrika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't worth reading. It's an interesting story, but it doesn't need a whole book to tell it. I skimmed through. A video would tell the story better.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on man's relationship with the wild, especially those raised in captivity, and our responsibility to those animals.

[Sherri Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casey is a wonderful writer and quite poetic. I enjoyed the book.