Police called after two young bears escaped from enclosure and devoured a week’s worth of honey
24 June 2025, 17:11
Two young bears devoured a week's worth of honey after escaping from their enclosure at a wildlife park.
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The bears, who did not pose a threat to the public according to Wildwood Devon, and went back to sleep in their enclosure after feasting on the honey.
Mish and Lucy, both four-years-old, made straight for their food store during their hour of adventure at the Wildwood Trust's Devon site on Monday afternoon.
A spokesperson for Wildwood Devon said: "Two young bears escaped from their enclosure at Wildwood Devon yesterday afternoon, heading straight for their food store.
"Mish and Lucy, both four years, who posed no threat to the public at any point, enjoyed a selection of snacks - including a week's worth of honey - before being safely returned to their enclosure by the expert keeper team within the hour.
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"As a precaution, all visitors on site were promptly escorted to a secure building.
"The bears were continuously monitored both on the ground and via CCTV until they calmly returned to their enclosure and fell asleep.
The charity said police attended the scene "in line with standard protocol" and an investigation is under way to find out how the bears escaped.
"The exhibit is secure, and we are grateful to our staff and visitors for their cooperation, which helped us resolve the situation swiftly and safely."
Mish and Lucy were discovered abandoned by their mother in a snowdrift in the Albanian mountains, according to the Wildwood Trust.
Several attempts were made to reintroduce the cubs into the wild but it became clear to conservationists that they could not survive on their own.
Following a fundraising campaign in 2020, the siblings were transported to Wildwood's Kent park for six months before they made their "forever home" at the Devon site in 2021.
Mish is known to be a playful bear who enjoys splashing around in the pool and swinging in hammocks while Lucy is said to "love nothing more" than spending time with her brother and climbing trees.
The pair eat kilos of berries, fruits, vegetables, seeds, fish and meat every day.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We were made aware of two resident bears having escaped from their home at Escot Park on the afternoon of Monday 23 June.
"Specialist officers attended and visitors taken to places of safety. The bears were safely returned to their area and secured."
