Bears Make a Sweet Escape in Britain
In a scene reminiscent of a children’s story, two young bears managed to escape from a British zoo and found their way into a food storage area filled with treats, predominantly honey.
According to a post from Wildwood Devon on Facebook, two five-year-old European brown bears named Mish and Lucy escaped their enclosure at Wildlife Park Wildwood Devon in southwest England on Monday afternoon, wandering toward a restricted staff area.
In that area, they indulged in what was described as “a choice of snacks that contain a week’s worth of honey,” according to the park’s social media updates.
The bears did not pose a danger to visitors during their brief escape. However, to ensure safety, all park-goers were moved to a secure building. Park authorities kept a close watch on the bears through surveillance until they returned to their enclosure, as the park later informed.
One footage clip shows Lucy seemingly quite pleased with herself after her little adventure into what looked like a grocery store for bears. After their feast, both bears eventually settled down for a nap, the park shared on Facebook.
Wildwood Devon clarified that the episode, which required police involvement, stemmed from “operational errors.” They are currently investigating how the escape occurred to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future.
“The structural integrity of the bear enclosure remains uncompromised, but we take operational lapses very seriously,” stated Wildwood Devon. “We are fully committed to upholding the highest standards of animal care, visitor safety, and transparency.”
Located amidst 40 acres of woodland and gardens in Devon, England, Wildwood Devon is home to various animals, including foxes, wolves, red squirrels, and of course, bears.
Interestingly, there have been other escape incidents this year; for example, an Andean bear managed to escape from the St. Louis Zoo multiple times within a month. One of those escapes saw the bear cleverly break through an enclosure door.
As of now, Wildwood Devon and the local police have not yet responded to requests for further comment.
