A zoo in Texas will receive a bear from the St. Louis Zoo that broke free from its habitat twice in February. The zoo is preparing to receive an Andean bear named Ben.
Ben drew national attention by breaking free from its habitat before the St. Louis Zoo opened February 7. The zoo says the bear, who is four years old and weighs 280 pounds, tore apart clips attaching stainless steel mesh to a door.
The zoo says it found no evidence the door had been tampered with. The animal was caught, tranquilized and returned to a holding area.
The St. Louis Zoo says workers added stainless steel attachments with 450 pounds of tensile strength, but Ben broke through those February 23.
That afternoon, the zoo had already opened, and the zoo took visitors and staff to indoor facilities for about 50 minutes while they secured the animal. No one was hurt.
The St. Louis Zoo now says Ben will relocate to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville.
“While we love Ben, and wish he could stay with us, our goal is to do what is best for him. I am so grateful for the excellent care provided to Ben by our Animal Care team here and everyone’s willingness to seek opportunities for Ben to thrive," Regina Mossotti, Vice President of Animal Care at the Saint Louis Zoo, wrote in a statement.
Gladys Porter Zoo has a history of working with Andean bears.
"Their Andean bear habitat that includes a moat rather than steel mesh outdoor habitat, which the group believes would be a more ideal environment for Ben," the St. Louis Zoo says, saying the move to Brownsville would better suit his "specific and unique personality."
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the Andean bear as a threatened species, saying they face a "high risk of extinction in the wild." The organization says deforestation is leading to a drop in the bear's population, and just 18,000 of the bears are estimated to live in the wild now.
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