JOHNNY Welde III only needs the bare necessities in life — the 13 bears that live in his backyard.

    While most families spend their days walking the dog or feeding the cat, the Welde family has been rolling around their Florida estate — dubbed Bearadise Ranch — for generations. And though the 1,000-pound (453-kg) animals could crush you with one swing, they are not at all scared.

    “We live and breathe these animals, we love them and they are a part of us,” Monica Welde, Johnny’s wife, said.

    “We know what these animals are capable of and we could read them — we would never put our children in danger.

    “In the wild, bears can be dangerous animals — but the relationship we have with them is built up over years of living with them, 365 days a year.”

    The Welde family first brought bears into their ranks 89 years ago, when Johnny’s grandfather Johnny Welde I moved over from Norway.

    Fascinated with bears, the elder Welde had been training the deadly animals in his home country and in 1948 he brought a circus of them to the U.S. for his first tour.

    It was a roaring success — so much so that he settled in Tampa, Florida, with his wife Tove and daughter Conny.

    Johnny III, 59, said, “He came to the United States in the 40s and did a lot of different venues over here and then in the late 50s and 60s he did a lot of TV shows and movies.

    “My grandfather was performing somewhere and a talent scout saw me leading a bear around at 3-years-old and he said, ‘Well if that bear can work with a little boy, then he can work in Hollywood’.”

    Three generations later, nothing has slowed down.

    Johnny III has continued to train their brood of 13 for the silver screen and over the years he became a stalwart of the show business animals scene, training bears for shows including Lassie and Beverley Hillbillies.

    Johnny and Monica hope to see the tradition continue with their son, Johnny IV, who has been working with the animals since he was 3 years old. (SD-Agencies)