Wild young bear decides to break into Alaska Zoo, forcing closure of facility

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A wild black bear was discovered lounging in a tree in the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, forcing staff to close the facility to the public for hours Wednesday.

According to the Alaska Dispatch News, a groundskeeper noticed the young bear lounging in a tree in the zoo at about 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Zoo officials said the bear appeared to be about 2 years old and they suspect it was recently pushed away by its mother.

Jill Myer, director of development at the zoo, told the Alaska Dispatch News that all of the animals were herded into their dens, including the tigers and nearby wolves.

Myer  told the news site, “The tigers were very excited about the new resident. They were actually put into their nighttime dens. And the wolves were very curious. A couple of the wolves were like ‘no’ and it took a while to get them in.”

The bear was monitored and the zoo remained closed to the public until about 1 p.m. when the bear came down from the tree and was escorted out of the zoo.

Its whereabouts are unknown, and Myer hopes it stays that way and the bear does not come back for a return visit.