Posted on 10/29/2001 6:39:46 AM PST by dighton
An alcoholic Russian bear has kicked the habit after a millionaire animal lover paid for him to be treated at a drying out clinic.
Potapych became famous in Moscow for his binges after developing a taste for sharing his keeper's daily bottle of vodka.
At a new home, the bear was weaned off liquor, through a steady reduction of vodka mixed with his food.
According to the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, it is a fairytale ending to the bad start the bear made in life.
He was bought as a cub by a Russian businessman who kept him in a park alongside his Moscow villa.
After the businessman was jailed, Potapych was ignored by everyone except his keeper, known as 'Uncle Misha'.
With little to do, Uncle Misha increasingly turned to the bottle to pass the time, and shared it with Potapych by pouring it on his food. Later the bear helped itself to the vodka, and the pair would often be seen staggering around the estate.
Many visitors who travelled to the park made the matter worse by bringing vodka as gifts for the two.
The bear's binges only ended when the wealthy head of the animal department of a Russian film company learned of Potapych and paid to finally dry him out.
Film company spokesman Tatyana Yarkina said: "The separation was heartrending for them both, but Potapych is far happier now. Now Potapych drinks milk."
Copyright © 2001 Ananova Ltd
I'm glad to hear Ditka's doing better.
Getting away from New Orleans does wonders, I suppose.
Another Kennedy moment.
Authorities state that the bear became uncontrollable one evening on a manhattan binge lacked olives, raiding the homes of several villagers to eat porrige and check the softness of thier sleeping quarters. Antonin Crapaloadof stated that the bears guttural noises sounded like "this ones too soft, this ones too hard, this ones just right" right before it collapsed on the mattress.
In a followup, the bear has completed a 12 step program and accepted Christ as his redeemer and holds a steady job at the local KFC making cole slaw where he bemaons the availability of moderate paying jobs. "Theres really no place for an ex vodkahund like me to get good job training" He emphatically stated, "capitalism sucks and so does perrier"
Fortunately, it is colorless so technically....
One word: Tequila.
Yeah, that Tang stuff can really do you in.
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