‘Very curious’ bear named Ben escapes habitat at Saint Louis Zoo, captured hours later

An Andean bear at the Saint Louis Zoo escaped from its habitat on Tuesday, Feb. 7, evading staff members for hours, officials said.

Officials at the Missouri zoo said the bear, named Ben, was discovered outside of his River’s Edge habitat around 8 a.m.

“It would appear that the very curious bear meddled with the steel mesh in just the right spot of the outdoor habitat, causing a cable to give way, which then allowed the bear to work his way out,” the zoo said in a Facebook post Wednesday.

It took nearly two hours for zoo workers to safely capture Ben, who was secured near his habitat at 9:40 a.m. The zoo said he was tranquilized.

Sedating Ben was a challenge, Billy Brennan, director of public relations at the zoo, told KMOV. Brennan said Ben was in a “heavily wooded area” of the zoo, which made it difficult to get a clear shot.

The entire incident took place before the zoo opened to the public at 10 a.m. No animals or staff members were injured.

“The years of experience with escape drills and training really paid off yesterday,” the zoo said. “Given the situation, we couldn’t be more proud of the outcome.”

Ben has lived in the Saint Louis Zoo since the summer of 2021. He transferred to the Saint Louis Zoo from the Queens Zoo in New York following a “recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Andean Bear Species Survival Plan.”

Ben is one of 30 Andean bears in the SSP population, the zoo said. The species, most often seen in the Andes Mountains range, is considered vulnerable because of habitat loss and poaching threats.

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