Casey Anderson (naturalist)

Casey Anderson
Casey Anderson in 2013
Born	August 20, 1975 (age 41) East Helena, Montana
Alma mater	Montana State University
Show	Expedition Wild
Network	National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, and syndication
Show	America the Wild with Casey Anderson
Network	Nat Geo WILD
Country	U.S.A.
Website	caseyanderson.tv

Casey Anderson (born August 20, 1975) is an American wildlife naturalist, television host, animal trainer and actor who is best known as the host and executive producer of the Nat Geo WILD channel television series, Expedition Wild and America the Wild with Casey Anderson, and for being the trainer and "best friend" of Brutus the Bear, a grizzly bear that he adopted as a newborn cub. Brutus, trained by Anderson, has appeared in many films, documentaries, television commercials, and live educational shows across the United States.

Casey Anderson was born August 20, 1975 in East Helena, Montana, and was raised there. He is a fifth generation Montanan and was interested in animals from an early age, causing him to be nicknamed "the animal magnet" as a child. He graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana in 1995 with a degree in wildlife biology.

After college, Anderson worked for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks as a wildlife rehabilitation technician, and for several privately owned wildlife parks as an animal keeper and trainer. In 2002, he adopted an orphaned grizzly bear cub, Brutus, from an overcrowded wildlife park where the cub was destined to spend his life in captivity or be euthanized. This led to Anderson's future career as trainer to Brutus and co-owner of Montana Grizzly Encounter.

Anderson is the founder, director and co-owner of Montana Grizzly Encounter Rescue and Educational Sanctuary in Bozeman, Montana. Anderson founded the sanctuary in 2004 as a place to raise Brutus, rehabilitate grizzlies rescued from bad captivity situations, and aid in the study of grizzlies. Brutus lives at the sanctuary, along with several other grizzlies.

Anderson serves as handler and trainer for Brutus, who has appeared in a number of television commercials, documentaries, and films. Anderson wrote a book, The Story of Brutus: My Life With Brutus the Bear and the Grizzlies of North America (Pegasus Books, 2010), about his relationship with Brutus, the founding of the Montana Grizzly Encounter sanctuary, and his observations about life in the wild and the preservation of bears.