
The idea of sitting down for dinner with a 300lb bear is enough to put most people off their food.

But for one family from Russia this wild idea is actually a way of life that extends far beyond sharing the odd meal at the dinner table.

On the surface Svetlana and Yuriy Panteleenko appear like any other ordinary couple, but for their 23-year-old bear named Stepan.

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Surrogate child: Russian family Svetlana and Yuriy Panteleenko adopted the very large bear named Stepan aged three months

One of the family: Standing at more than seven foot, the large mammal has been domesticated by the couple and is now aged 23

Bear hug: The couple say that because they have known Stepan so long his temperament is extremely gentle and he enjoys giving hugs

Trust: The couple say the bear is so domesticated he even sits down with them in the evenings to watch television on the sofa

Standing at more than seven foot, the large mammal is so domesticated the family often sit down together in the evenings to watch television.

And the bear has even been known to help out around the house - or at least in the garden - by watering the plants.

While Stepan gets through more than a bowl of porridge a day his favourite dish is a can of condensed milk thanks to a sweet tooth.

He also stocks up on a hefty 25kg of fish, vegetables and eggs - meaning dinner time at the Panteleenko's is never a breeze.

But fortunately for Stepan, he's also a football fanatic so works off the gut-busting amount of food his parents serve him every day.

Svetlana and Yuriy adopted Stepan when he was aged just three months.

Who's been eating my porridge? The couple said Stepan, who eats a lot of food, gets through more than a bowl of porridge a day

What's for dessert? The big bear's favourite dish is a can of condensed milk thanks to a sweet tooth, but he also eats fish and vegetables

Active: Stephan is a football fan and works off the gut-busting amount of food his parents serve him every day by having a kick about

Give us a hand! The bear has even been known to help out around the house - or at least the garden - by watering the plants

The couple say that because they have known the bear so long his temperament is extremely gentle and he can often be found cuddling up to them on the sofa.

Svetlana said: 'Stepan likes nothing more than to cuddle up with us on the sofa at night while we're watching television.

'When we adopted him, he was only three-months-old and had been found by hunters in the forest having lost his mother. He was in a very bad condition.

'He absolutely loves people and is a really sociable bear - despite what people might think, he is not aggressive at all. We have never been bitten by Stepan.

'He's got so many talents and loves a picnic. It's a wonder he doesn't eat us out of house and home.'

Hungry: Stepan stocks up on a hefty 25kg of fish, vegetables and eggs, meaning dinner time is never a breeze in the Panteleenko house

Budge up: The family say the bear can often be found cuddling up to them on the sofa while watching television of an evening