FOOL ME TWICE

Andean Bear Makes Daring Escape From St. Louis Zoo for 2nd Time in a Month

The “very curious” bear wandered the zoo for nearly an hour while guests were ushered indoors.

The St. Louis Zoo may need some better enclosures. On Thursday, an Andean bear named Ben broke out of his cage and roamed the grounds for nearly an hour—his second time doing so in less than a month. When officials were notified of the escape, they implemented the “Zoo Animal Emergency Response Protocol,” ushering guests indoors while they took care of the wandering animal. But this whole experience may have provoked some unwelcome déjà vu. Just two-and-a-half weeks ago, the four-year-old bear made a similar breakout, having “meddled with the steel mesh in just the right spot of the outdoor habitat, causing a cable to give way,” according to a zoo press release. Though the zoo further fortified Ben’s cage with steel clips made to withstand 450 pounds of tensile strength, this upgrade, too, was clearly no match for the “very curious” bear.