Two European brown bears, Mish and Lucy, broke free from their enclosure at Wildwood Trust in Devon, sparking an evacuation of the wildlife park involving trained staff and police. The bears headed straight for the honey store, consuming a “week’s worth” of honey before being safely caught.
The incident occurred on Monday when emergency procedures were deployed after the alarm was raised at around 15:00 BST. Despite initial concerns, staff and visitors were not put in harm’s way as the bears remained calm and chose to stay away from public areas.
An investigation is now underway into how the breach occurred, with park officials stressing that it was an isolated incident and not a common occurrence. The trust has built a reputation for working with European brown bears and takes pride in its expertise in caring for these charismatic animals.
The bears were eventually lured back to their enclosure using food and other enrichment activities, allowing staff to regain control of the situation. Staff at Wildwood Trust praised the calm nature of the bears, saying they “remained very calm throughout” despite being in an unfamiliar environment.
Despite the incident, park operations resumed as usual, with visitors able to safely enjoy exhibits featuring the resident brown bears.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrxn4x7yx2o