expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto The 24-year-old also gives “stink eye” to anyone onset who talks to her manager, Mark Dumas, except for his wife, Dawn, the only other person Agee will tolerate while working. That happens because she is treated with a lot of respect.”. But work for Agee and other animals is slowing down in the film world as CGI takes over. Mark, 60, and wife Dawn, 49, from Abbotsford, British Columbia (BC), Canada, trained the polar bear – the world’s largest land predator – to star in high-budget TV advertisements. 5.6K likes. You’re with them or they’re with you for the rest of their lives.”. Agee features in the 24 minute documentary below at the beginning and the end (posted in September 2015). “She’s very selective on who she likes and who she doesn’t like,” says Dumas, noting no one is allowed into her working space, which is surrounded by a thin electric wire fence onset. “When I go away, she is a little upset and when I come back she’ll actually blow me off. Mark took the polar bear, Agee on when she was just eight weeks old. Atlas bear (extinct) California grizzly bear (extinct) Mexican grizzly bear (extinct) Threats.
“When I pull her trailer in front of her cage, she gets excited. All “You raise the animal from a baby, you spend a lot of time with it and no one’s paying you to do it, you just do it. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Agee the Polar Bear. Mark trained her to do all kinds of tricks, and the two of them spend just about every day together. She even appeared in movies like Alaska in 1995 when she was just a few weeks old. Current location: Beyond Bears, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, Agee was purchsed from Kolmården Wildlife Park, Sweden specifically to appear in the film “Alaska” (1996). She doesn’t make any noise,” says Dumas, noting her roar in the film was added in post-production. “She’s trained to open her mouth and show her teeth. In Arctic, Agee appears in a scene involving a cave and, while she looks ferocious, it’s all an act. Opening Friday in Toronto and other cities in subsequent weeks, Arctic stars Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen as the sole survivor of a plane crash in a remote and snowy area of the frigid North. Agee shot her Arctic role about a year ago in a warehouse in Abbotsford. For the full terms of this license, check here. For the full terms of this license, check here. Dumas was born in Los Angeles and says he “fell into” animal training while working on the lion ranch of an acquaintance’s father. After all, she is an apex predator: a polar bear, to be exact. Her other credits include the 2014 Norwegian children’s drama Operation Arctic and 1996’s Alaska with Charlton Heston, which was her first movie. She travels to movie sets in a 12-metre-long trailer and is provided with a pool to wade in on hot days. He trained her through positive reinforcement, with the primary goal of making her a part of the family.