Restoring species such as beavers, elk and bison ‘crucial' for nature
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
25-06-2025
- BBC News
Rogue bears' honey supply replenished by community in Devon
A pair of bears who escaped and raided their keepers' food store in Devon are in the honey once more thanks to generous community donations. European brown bears Mish and Lucy sparked a "code red" on Tuesday, in an escape that conservation charity Wildwood Trust said was caused by an unlocked dynamic duo consumed "a week's worth of honey", the trust said, as well as jam and other supplies - prompting a "sugar rush" and leaving a depleted larder in their Habben, director of zoological operations at Wildwood Trust, near Exeter, said: "I think everyone's picked up on the fact bears really do love honey - we've had donations including a 15kg (33lb) tub." Mr Habben added: "We've also had donations to purchase more honey."It's just been been really lovely support from the local community."I couldn't have more gratitude for how people have responded to this and rallied around and offered support and also come in to see Mish and Lucy."People have picked up the cheeky element of bears, I think, and that they're a lovely, peaceful animal."Mr Habben said they had also been inundated by visitors since the incident captured imaginations across the country and beyond. It was at about 15:00 BST on Monday that the young bears "breached" the enclosure and made their way to a staff the duo "feasted and played around", a park evacuation and lockdown took place, while staff trained in firearms and the police were deployed to the about 55 minutes, Lucy made her way back to the enclosure, while Mish was lured back with a bell and some food. 'Crashed out' Mr Habben said the sugar from the honey hit the bears shortly afterwards."They gorged on honey and then they somehow needed to burn all of the energy off that that honey had created."They charged around for a good few hours, climbing up the trees, which was really fun to see, and jumping in the pond."He said they then "crashed out" in a deep sleep "for hours" - just as an influx of visitors arrived to see the now-famous bears."I think it was all of the running around from the sugar rush coupled with all of that sensory enrichment from being somewhere they shouldn't. They are like toddlers." Mr Habben said a safety review was now under way to ensure the unlocked gate "never happens again"."We've been transparent that a mistake was made but at the end of it is a really positive ending and the engagement has been great."
BBC News
24-06-2025
- BBC News
Bears raid honey store after enclosure escape
Two bears who sparked the evacuation of a wildlife park involving trained firearms staff and police had headed straight for the honey store, the park has said. Wildwood Devon, a conservation charity near Exeter, said European brown bears Mish and Lucy made their way to the food store after breaking free - and then consumed a "week's worth of honey". The park was evacuated after the alarm was raised at about 15:00 BST on Monday - 16 people including children were locked into a play barn for their safety. Mark Habben, director of zoological operations at Wildwood Trust, said emergency procedures were deployed and the public was "not in harm's way". Wildwood Devon The trust has now launched an investigation into how the pair of "young bears", weighing about 180kg (397lb) each, escaped as there were no signs of enclosure damage, it said. Mr Habben said: "Both bears are extremely happy. The team were very, very calm, as were the bears at all points. "The public were not in harm's way, emergency procedures and everyone did the job they were intended to do." Mr Habben said a "code red" was called after the bears were spotted by senior staff after they "breached" the enclosure and made their way to a staff area at about 15:00 BST on Monday. He said: "They were in an area where we keep enrichment - all the nice things. "The bears had a feast, played around, pulled some rope out." Wildwood Trust He said the code red is a "category one emergency procedure" which leads to park evacuation and lock down. He said the park's emergency team was deployed, including those trained in firearms, while police were notified and arrived on site to "support the team on the ground". Mr Habben said staff monitored the bears on CCTV and they "remained very calm throughout", not breaching any public areas, choosing instead to remain at the back of the bear house. "They were wandering up and down, having a sniff around, looking in the store cupboard where honey was stored. "That was fortuitously left open, so they raided that." Jon Forde, head of bears at Wildwood Trust, said he was "very surprised" by the incident. He said: "We work very hard to make sure these things don't happen. "We've been looking after bears for the last decade and never had an escape before so it's not a common thing or something we ever want to ever happen again." However, Mr Forde said he was not surprised by what the bears got up to. He said: "Bears are very typical. They'll go for the nearest sort of sweet source of food - any honey, peanut butter, jam, anything like that they absolutely love. "They've got this great sense of smell, they'll just find things out, even if you hide them. They'll find them out and they'll make sure they have them." Mish eventually made her own way back to the enclosure and Lucy was lured back with a bell and her favourite foods. He described the pair, who were rescued from a snow drift in Albania in 2019, as "extremely charismatic and resilient". The trust said it had built a reputation for working with European brown bears. Mr Habben said this was the first time an escape incident had taken place at the park and an investigation was now under way as to how the breach occurred. Another brown bear that was set to be killed in Sweden and travelled to England by Eurotunnel, was resident at the trust before being transferred to a park in Ipswich. Wildwood Devon On social media, Wildwood Devon added: "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." The park opened as usual earlier. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, European brown bears can grow up to 6.5ft (1.9m) and weigh up to 1,500lbs (680kg), are able to stand on two legs and communicate through scratch marks on trees. Some of the largest living carnivores, brown bears have fallen prey to hunting and other conflicts with humans and there are thought to be up to 110,000 in the world. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Related internet links Wildwood Trust Bears Wildlife Devon Animals
The Independent
24-06-2025
- The Independent
Bears escape enclosure at UK wildlife park and eat week's worth of honey
Two young bears at a wildlife park made a beeline for a week's supply of honey after staging an escape from their enclosure. Mish and Lucy, both four-year-old siblings, seized their moment of freedom at the Wildwood Trust's site in Ottery St Mary in Devon on Monday afternoon. The pair reportedly headed straight for their food store during their hour-long adventure. Despite their brief escapade, Wildwood Devon confirmed that the bears posed no danger to the public at any point. A spokesperson for Wildwood Trust shared: 'Two young bears escaped from their enclosure at Wildwood Devon this 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. '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 underway 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,' the spokesperson added. 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.
