Latest news with #MarkHabben
BBC News
25-06-2025
- General
- 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."
The Sun
24-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Two bears ESCAPE at UK zoo with visitors locked down and cops scrambled as bosses probe how they got out
TWO escaped bears channelled Winnie-the-Pooh — and made a beeline for the zoo's honey store. Mish and Lucy, both 5ft and 30st, were caught on CCTV nosing through supplies before guzzling a week's worth of the sweet sticky treat. 5 5 5 5 Visitors were ushered into secure buildings and the satisfied five-year-olds wandered back to their £100,000 enclosure for a nap. Mark Habben, director of zoo operations at Wildwood Devon, in Escot Park, near Exeter, told The Sun: 'We'd had a huge food delivery an hour before. 'It was still in boxes and they made their way straight to it. 'They tore into containers and also smashed a jar of peanut butter.' Police headed to the scene while staff monitored the European brown bears but a zoo spokeswoman added: 'Mish and Lucy posed no threat. 'They enjoyed a selection of snacks — including the honey — before being safely returned to their enclosure by the keeper team within the hour. 'Then they fell asleep.' The siblings arrived at the zoo in 2022 after they were found as cubs in 2019, abandoned by their mother in the mountains of Albania. It was deemed too dangerous for them to be returned and they were kept briefly in Belgium. I work at London Zoo and my day even includes making Tea for the animals Wildwood said at the time it wanted an enclosure that was as natural as possible and launched an appeal for funds. The pair soon settled in and became firm favourites with its visitors. Mr Habben said: 'We are investigating how they got out — but we suspect they've gone through an unlocked gate. 'We've managed bears for 21 years and never had an incident like this. 'Mish and Lucy are going to be on a restricted diet. 'It's only the bear necessities from now on.' 5
BBC News
24-06-2025
- General
- 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
New York Times
24-06-2025
- General
- New York Times
Two Brown Bears Broke Out of Their Pen. Then They Ransacked the Honey Stash.
Mish and Lucy are friendly and easygoing siblings. They get along well. This time of year, they primarily hang out in their enclosure eating fruits, nuts and honey. But on Monday, the pair of 5-year-old bears broke out of their living quarters at a wildlife sanctuary in Devon, in Southwest England, and helped themselves to a stockpile of fresh food. And in a scene that could've been pulled straight from 'Winnie the Pooh,' the bears devoured a week's worth of honey in about an hour. Mark Habben, the director of zoological operations at Wildwood Trust, which operates the sanctuary, said he received a call on Monday afternoon informing him of a 'code red' at the organization's Devon location. (At the time, he was working at Wildwood Trust's other location in Kent, a roughly four-hour drive away.) Mr. Habben said he first thought it might be a drill. But when he realized it was a genuine alert, he said, the sanctuary enacted its emergency protocol, taking 16 guests into a play barn for safety and calling the police. None of the visitors were at risk, he said, and the bears were not in a public area. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
24-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Wildwood Devon: Two brown bears escape enclosure and steal honey
When two European brown bears got out of their enclosure at a wildlife park in Devon, they went looking for snacks. Their first stop? The honey of us have read about bears with a sweet tooth in stories like Winnie the Pooh and Paddington - but it turns out these real life bears, named Mish and Lucy like tasty treats too. The pair of young, curious bears wandered into a staff area at Wildwood Devon on Monday afternoon and made a beeline (or should that be a bear-line) to a whole week's supply of honey, scoffing the lot! They also spent time getting their sticky paws on ropes and toys found in the storage space, which is usually off-limits to animals. The alarm was raised at the wildlife park around 3pm on Monday 23 June after a member of staff spotted that the bears had escaped. Emergency procedures were then put in place and the park was bears were roaming free for about 55 minutes and 16 visitors, including children, were told to stay in a play barn for their safety, while the the situation was being Habben, director of zoological operations at Wildwood Trust, 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." Staff kept a close eye on the bears using CCTV. "They were wandering up and down, having a sniff around, looking in the store cupboard where honey was stored," Mr Habben added. "That was fortuitously left open so they raided that."As they explored the staff zone - they found enrichment items (things like toys and treats) which are kept to keep animals happy and stimulated. "The bears had a feast, played around, pulled some rope out," said Mr the end, Mish calmly returned to the enclosure by herself, while Lucy was encouraged back with the help of her favourite treats and a bell. Mr Habben described both bears as "extremely happy" and praised the calm, professional response of the park says it's the first time an incident like this has happened and has now launched an investigation to find out how Mish and Lucy managed to get out, especially as there was no damage to their enclosure. With the bears now safely back in their enclosure, the park opened as normal on Tuesday morning. Mish and Lucy were originally rescued from a snowdrift in the Albanian mountains in 2019 and are well known for their clever, playful personalities, with Mr Habben describing them as "extremely charismatic and resilient".The park's website says that: "Despite several attempts to reintroduce these bear cubs back into the wild, it was clear they could no longer survive on their own and needed a home."The young bears weigh 180kg (397lb) that's about the weight of a motorbike. 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 of the largest living carnivores, there are thought to be up to 110,000 of the bears left in the like to eat fruits, vegetables, fish and honey… obviously.
