The Saint Louis Zoo is back in business after an escaped bear forced a lockdown for the second time this month.
Ben, an Andean bear, escaped from his enclosure early Thursday, prompting zoo officials to order a lockdown.
Visitors already on zoo property were quickly escorted into various indoor facilities or told to shelter in their cars as employees frantically searched for the wayward bear.
Ben was eventually found hanging around the River's Edge area of the zoo, not far from his enclosure. Officials said the search took approximately 50 minutes from start to finish.
Ben's daring escape marked his second this month. On February 7th, the bear gave zookeepers the skip for about 90 minutes after "meddling with the steel mesh in just the right spot of the outdoor habitat, causing a cable to give way, which then allowed him to work his way out," officials said.
"Since then, team members made the habitat even more secure by adding stainless steel cargo clips rated at 450 pounds tensile strength, yet that wasn't enough for Ben," the zoo said in a statement. "At four years old, we know Ben is young and adventurous. Our team will continue to work collaboratively and consult with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Bear Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) to investigate other alternative ways to secure the habitat."
The zoo hasn't yet said what led to Ben's latest escape.
Andean bears live in a variety of habitats, ranging from the deserts to forests and high-altitude grasslands, and spend most of their time off the ground. They have rings of white or yellow fur around their eyes, which can look like glasses. They are midsized bears, with adults ranging between four and six feet long and two to three feet tall at the shoulder.
Ben came to the Saint Louis Zoo the summer of 2021 as a recommendation from the Andean Bear Species Survival Plan (SSP), which manages a genetic reserve of the species in North America. The Andean bear is the only bear found in South America and considered at high risk of extinction in the wild due to habitat loss and poaching threats, the zoo said. Currently, there are approximately 30 bears in the SSP population.
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