St. Louis Zoo bear has second brief escape from enclosure

ST. LOUIS (AP) – For the second time in a month, a bear at the St. Louis Zoo figured out how to get out of his enclosure and enjoy a brief taste of freedom.

Zoo officials say Ben, an Andean bear, was outside for less than an hour Thursday and stayed within 100 feet of his habitat.

The Zoo posted on its Facebook page that guests and staff were moved to indoor locations until the bear was tranquilized and returned to his enclosure.

After the first escape on Feb. 7, the zoo added stronger clips to the enclosure’s door but that didn’t stop Ben.

The zoo said it is working on new solutions to keep the bear inside his habitat.