Crafty bear dodged electric wires to escape enclosure

The crafty bear that escaped from its enclosure at the Columbus Zoo and caused a lockdown at the end of June (see below) was the first one to do so, beating electrified obstacles along the way.

The year-old black bear named Joanie, after rocker Joan Jett, showcased her deft climbing skills before, having previously scaled a tree laced with electric wires designed to deter animals from climbing it.

This was before she climbed a 12½ foot fence and hopped into a viewing area, where Zoo visitors promptly fled.

Eventually, Joanie was sedated and no one was hurt.

According to a zoo spokeswoman, she was the first bear to escape the exhibit, “which had been holding bears for decades and nobody had gotten out of.”

Such is the life of a rock star.

The exhibit has not yet reopened since Joanie’s escape. Since then, plastic-style sheeting has been added to the top fence, in addition to more live electric wires to keep the bears contained.

6/25/16: Bear cub escape prompts Columbus Zoo lockdown

UPDATE: Columbus Zoo officials have confirmed that the zoo is no longer on lockdown after a black bear cub escaped from its enclosure around 11:15 a.m. today.

Zoo staff sedated the seven-month-year-old cub with a tranquilizer dart before taking the animal to a local hospital and lifting the lockdown.

No people were injured, according to zoo officials.

The Columbus zoo has since released the following statement:

“At approximately 11:15 a.m., our seven month old female black bear cub breached its exhibit containment in the Zoo and gained access to Zoo grounds. The Zoo called for immediate lockdown of the Zoo which is our normal protocol. The lockdown was quickly downgraded and only the cub’s immediate area was considered on lockdown. All guests were moved to safety during the lockdown procedure. The Zoo’s Emergency Response Team went into immediate action to assess the situation, formulated a plan to tranquilize and secured the animal. At approximately 11:30 a.m. the animal was tranquilized, crated and taken to a secure area. Visitors in the park were moved to safe locations and were not in danger. We will provide more details as they become available.”

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