The Andean bear Ben escaped his outdoor habitat at the St. Louis Zoo for the second time. When the animal got out around 1 PM, the Missouri zoo implemented the Zoo Animal Emergency Response Protocol. According to the press release, guests and staff on the premises were quickly escorted into various indoor facilities while team members secured Ben.
Who Let the Bear Out?
The press statement stated that Ben got out by meddling with the steel mesh in just the right spot of the outside habitat. This caused a cable to give way, which subsequently allowed him to work his way out. Ben was able to escape from his habitat despite the efforts of members of the team who had secured it by installing cargo clips made of stainless steel with a tensile strength of 450 points. In addition, the statement read that the Zoo team members will continue to work together and communicate with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Bear Taxon Advisory Group to identify other viable approaches to secure the habitat.
About the St. Louis Zoo
Since the zoo was established in 1910, numerous spaces, exhibits, and buildings were constructed during the succeeding decades to enhance the quality of care provided to the animals inside it. They also worked hard for the diversity of animals and habitats displayed, as well as education and interpretation. The symbol of the St. Louis Zoo is the head of a male lesser kudu, which features the animal’s distinctively beautiful spiraling horns.
In September 2017, the St. Louis Zoo, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Washington University in St. Louis joined forces to create what is now known as the Living Earth Collaborative, an initiative aimed at protecting the environment.
It’s a great collaboration being directed by Jonathan Losos, a scientist at Washington University. It’s a goal to advance understanding of how people can contribute to the conservation of diverse natural environments that are necessary for the continued existence of plants, microbes, and of course, animals.