Rogue bears' honey supply replenished by donations

A pair of bears who escaped and raided their keepers' food store in Devon are in the honey once more thanks to generous community donations.

European brown bears Mish and Lucy sparked a "code red" on Tuesday, in an escape that conservation charity Wildwood Trust said was caused by an unlocked gate. The dynamic duo consumed "a week's worth of honey", the trust said, as well as jam and other supplies - prompting a "sugar rush" and leaving a depleted larder in their wake.

Mark Habben, director of zoological operations at Wildwood Trust, near Exeter, said: "I think everyone's picked up on the fact bears really do love honey - we've had donations including a 15kg (33lb) tub."

Mr Habben added: "We've also had donations to purchase more honey.  It's just been been really lovely support from the local community.  I couldn't have more gratitude for how people have responded to this and rallied around and offered support and also come in to see Mish and Lucy.  People have picked up the cheeky element of bears, I think, and that they're a lovely, peaceful animal."

Mr Habben said they had also been inundated by visitors since the incident captured imaginations across the country and beyond.



It was at about 15:00 BST on Monday that the young bears "breached" the enclosure and made their way to a staff area. As the duo "feasted and played around", a park evacuation and lockdown took place, while staff trained in firearms and the police were deployed to the site. After about 55 minutes, Lucy made her way back to the enclosure, while Mish was lured back with a bell and some food.

Mr Habben said the sugar from the honey hit the bears shortly afterwards.  "They gorged on honey and then they somehow needed to burn all of the energy off that that honey had created. They charged around for a good few hours, climbing up the trees, which was really fun to see, and jumping in the pond."

He said they then "crashed out" in a deep sleep "for hours" - just as an influx of visitors arrived to see the now-famous bears.  "I think it was all of the running around from the sugar rush coupled with all of that sensory enrichment from being somewhere they shouldn't. They are like toddlers."

Mr Habben said a safety review was now under way to ensure the unlocked gate "never happens again".  "We've been transparent that a mistake was made but at the end of it is a really positive ending and the engagement has been great."

Bears raid honey store after enclosure escape



Two bears who sparked the evacuation of a wildlife park involving trained firearms staff and police had headed straight for the honey store, the park has said.

Wildwood Devon, a conservation charity near Exeter, said European brown bears Mish and Lucy made their way to the food store after breaking free - and then consumed a "week's worth of honey".

The park was evacuated after the alarm was raised at about 15:00 BST on Monday - 16 people including children were locked into a play barn for their safety.

Mark Habben, director of zoological operations at Wildwood Trust, said emergency procedures were deployed and the public was "not in harm's way".



The trust has now launched an investigation into how the pair of "young bears", weighing about 180kg (397lb) escaped as there were no signs of enclosure damage, it said.

Mr Habben said: "Both bears are extremely happy, the team were very very calm as were the bears at all points. The public were not in harm's way, emergency procedures and everyone did the job they were intended to do."

Mr Habben said a "code red" was called after the bears were spotted by senior staff after they "breached" the enclosure and made their way to a staff area at about 15:00 BST on Monday. He said: "They were in an area where we keep enrichment - all the nice things. The bears had a feast, played around, pulled some rope out."

He said the code red is a "category one emergency procedure" which leads to park evacuation and lock down. He said the park's emergency team was deployed, including those trained in firearms, while police were notified and arrived on site to "support the team on the ground".

Mr Habben said staff monitored the bears on CCTV and they "remained very calm throughout", and did not breach any public areas, choosing instead to remain at the back of the bear house. "They were wandering up and down, having a sniff around, looking in the store cupboard where honey was stored. That was fortuitously left open so they raided that."

Mish eventually made her own way back to the enclosure and Lucy was lured back with a bell and her favourite foods.

He described the pair, who were rescued from a snow drift in Albania in 2019, as "extremely charismatic and resilient". The trust said it had built a reputation for working with European brown bears.

Mr Habben said this was the first time an escape incident had taken place at the park and an investigation was now underway as to how the breach occurred.

Another brown bear that was set to be killed in Sweden and travelled to England by Eurotunnel, was resident at the trust before being transferred to a park in Ipswich.

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ITV News have got their Eurostar and Eurotunnel mixed up.

The bear travelled through the tunnel in a vehicle on a Eurotunnel LeShuttle service. He did get his own shuttle carriage though.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-67307708

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Swedish bear arrives at Devon wildlife park via Eurostar following life-saving rescue

A brown bear, that was due to be killed in Sweden, has arrived at a wildlife park in the UK.

Wildwood Trust said Diego, the last surviving bear at a Sweden zoo, arrived at Wildwood Devon, near Exeter on the evening of 2 November.

He travelled to the UK via Eurostar, after plans to bring him over by ferry were amended in light of Storm Ciaran, the trust said.