THE idea of sitting down for dinner with a 300 pound (136 kg) 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.

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

Standing at more than 7 feet (2.13 meters), 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 favorite dish is a can of condensed milk thanks to a sweet tooth.

He also stocks up on a hefty 25 kg 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 3 months.

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.

“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.”

(SD-Agencies)