Wild bear stealthily enters California zoo, is found visiting the bear exhibit

A wild, very “polite” and possibly lonely black bear recently paid a visit to its neighbors at a Northern California zoo.

Before opening for the day, staff at Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka were conducting a routine inspection of the Redwood Sky Walk — a self-guided tour of local redwood history and ecology — when they were surprised by a unique visitor.

On the tour trail was a wild American black bear leaning on a gate to peer in at the three black bears in their habitat within the park, according the zoo’s Facebook post.

“The wild bear did not appear aggressive and was observed interacting with Tule, Ishŭng, and Kunabulilh through their habitat fencing,” the post said.

The Eureka Police Department got a call about the curious visitor around 9:30 a.m. Friday and responded to the zoo along with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“We respond to bear calls within the city of Eureka quite often, but having a wild bear get into the zoo is a first,” said Peter Tira, spokesperson for the state department.

Directly behind the zoo is the wooded area of Eureka’s 60-acre Sequoia Park, and that’s where the bear is believed to have come from, said Laura Montagna, public information officer for the Police Department.

Employees are accustomed to seeing wildlife such as skunks, raccoons, squirrels and opossum around the zoo; as well as wild black bears, foxes, deer and even river otters in Sequoia Park, said Kate Baldwin, spokesperson for the zoo.

It is, however, the first time a wild bear has appeared within the facility, she said.

But how the wild bear entered the zoo is a mystery. Officials said the perimeter fencing that separates the facility from the park was intact and secure. The wild bear could have climbed a tree to get in, Baldwin said.

Montagna said Fish and Wildlife took the lead on escorting the bear out of the zoo and back into the woods. The police officers ensured that no human visitors were nearby, “so that the bear wouldn’t get scared,” she said.

“The Eureka Police Department used nonlethal shotgun projectiles to haze the bear as it exited the zoo perimeter,” Tira said. “This is done to provide the bear with a negative human interaction so that it avoids people, neighborhoods and developed areas in the future.”

During the wild bear’s visit, the Sequoia Park Zoo said, it didn’t enter any animal habitats and after a “brief exploration of the enrichment items” — objects that provide mental or physical stimulation for animals — “the bear was safely coaxed back into the woods through a service gate.”

“Overall, he was a very polite visitor. He stayed on the boardwalk path, kept two feet on the ground and didn’t try to climb over the railings,” the zoo said on Facebook.

There have been reports of several bears in the Eureka area in the last year and a half, she said.

The most recent sighting occurred last month when residents noticed a bear, possibly female, that Montagna said could have been the zoo visitor that she believes is just lonely.

The wild bear’s visit has sparked playful commentary from Facebook users including Priscilla Lange who said, “[The bear] was a very considerate guest. Some of your human visitors could probably take some lessons in behavior from him.”

Facebook user David Wickizer joked the bear was “looking for an application. ... He wanted to be an ambearssador!”

Zoo officials struck a cautionary note: “Wild bears and other animals call Sequoia Park home, and we remind our guests to responsibly live alongside them by observing wildlife from a distance, staying on marked trails and always being aware of your surroundings.”