MONTGOMERY COUNTY—A bear at a Kansas zoo caused some excitement over the weekend.
On Sunday, the staff at Ralph Mitchell Zoo, 400 Mickey Mantle Way in Independence, discovered one of its three Siberian bear sisters had apparently decided zoo life had become unbearable and made an unsuccessful attempt to tunnel out of her enclosure, according to a media release from the city.
While the bear never made it out of the enclosure confines, she did manage to dig under the viewing platform and slip barely out of sight of staff for very brief period of time. Staff quickly responded to the situation, coaxed the bear back into the security of her pen and are taking steps to reinforce the enclosure to eliminate any chance of a future breakout.
To fully ensure public safety while the bear was misbehaving, staff cleared the zoo of all visitors and locked the secondary enclosure within five minutes of discovering the dig, and within 10 minutes, had the bear back safely secured in the enclosure. Per protocol, the Independence Police Department was notified of the issue and responded to the zoo to provide any necessary assistance.
“Safety of our visitors is always our number one priority, followed by the well-being of our animals, so I am very thankful for the quick actions of the zoo staff and responding officers to avert danger,” said Independence City Manager Kelly Passauer.
The bear sisters will be off public exhibit for the next few days as staff continue to make modifications and reinforcements to their enclosure.