Image reproduced from 民視新聞網

An incident involving the escape of bears at a wildlife park in Devon, UK, occurred on the afternoon of the 23rd, wherein two rescue bears, named Mish and Lucy, indulged in a week’s worth of honey stored in a supply room. Their escapade prompted police intervention to locate them.

According to reports, Mish and Lucy are approximately five years old and were rescued from Albania by a conservation organization. They were relocated to Wildwood Devon wildlife park in Devon in 2021 through a £250,000 fundraising effort following a brief stay in Belgium where they could not return to the wild. Although they escaped, the park management assured that the bears did not pose a threat to visitors.

The wildlife park management quickly activated safety protocols, guiding visitors to safety zones while monitoring the bears’ movements through ground patrols and surveillance systems. Ultimately, they successfully returned Mish and Lucy to their enclosure within an hour.

During their escape, Mish and Lucy accessed the supply room, where they enjoyed a substantial amount of food, including a week’s worth of honey. Wildwood Devon issued a statement indicating, “After the bears escaped their enclosure, they headed directly to the supply room and helped themselves to a large amount of food. Luckily, they remained calm throughout the incident without displaying any aggressive behavior and eventually returned safely to their habitat to sleep.”

The Devon and Cornwall police promptly responded and sent officers to assist at the scene. Currently, the park has strengthened its security measures and is cooperating with authorities to investigate the cause of the incident. Overall, the situation has been controlled, with the bears exhibiting gentle behavior. The park expressed gratitude towards staff and visitors for their calm responses during the incident.

Wildwood Devon emphasized that Mish and Lucy are beloved by visitors, marking the first time the park has housed brown bears. They will continue to optimize facilities and safety mechanisms, and the park is set to operate as usual the following day.