Bear Attempts Zoo Break-Out, Steals Bike

[China]

Berlin bear's break-out bid fails

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3612706.stm

A bold amphibious escape bid by a bear at Berlin zoo has been foiled in a dramatic shoot-out.

Juan the Andean spectacled bear first paddled across a moat using a log for a raft, then scaled a wall.

Finally he appeared to commandeer a bicycle, before zookeepers with brooms cornered him, and a colleague picked him off with a tranquiliser gun.



"Just think what could have happened," said a mother who saw the bear escape and head for the children's carousel.

"It went straight for the playground", said Liane Hertrampf to the Berliner Kurier newspaper.

Parents grabbed their children and fled as they realised what was happening.

But the zoo's deputy director Heiner Kloes was not so concerned.

"Spectacled bears eat both vegetables and meat but children tend not to be on their menu," he said.

"I'd have been a lot more worried if one of our polar bears had escaped," he added.

He did say, however, that he was "alarmed at how some fathers were too busy filming the bear to check where their children were".

Amateur photographers captured the bear investigating a bicycle and roaming around the playground.

The incident was the second breakout since June, when a gorilla climbed over a fence.

After being stopped with darts from a tranquiliser gun, 110kg (294lb) Juan was carried back to his enclosure.

Mr Kloes told the Berliner Kurier newspaper zoo staff would make sure there were no further logs in the moat to prevent Juan's future bids for freedom.

[jbooma]

i could say something but i will be nice
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for now

[Cskin]

Overeaction.... all the parents, or the children, had to do was box the bear on the ears and it would submit.

Now... a Polar Bear... geez... that thing would rip a few faces off and eat a couple of dozen kids as an appetizer.

[Dan T.]

The bear was later seen being fitted for a helmet and yellow jersey.

[rdsknbill]

Get int the fetal position!

[Burgold]

Soon after the French immediately accused the bear of using steroids in fear that it would be applying for the Tour de France.

[WallyG3]

Shortly after, France surrendered.


Sorry, it was just TOO easy.

[Hitman56]

Is this the same bear that drank 36 beers at the campsite?

[WM_Marylander]

Typical German's, ah, who cares. The bear escaped. Last week a Guerilla... next week a lion.

But, no big deal. It was just having fun.

[Mr. S]

haha, i love these recent bear stories. Alright, time to start up the conspiracy theories.

Obviously the bears are supporting one brand of beer, which may have connections to the Illuminati. This bear was a prototype bear by the Germans to test the limits of how much bears can be trained to think like humans, next target, Polar Bears.

[Montilar]

the germans must have been foisting the Budweiser off on the poor beer.

They weren't about to drink that swill, and figured the bear wouldn't know any better....

Alas, he was caught before he could get to the real beer.