Mish and Lucy the bears devour a week’s supply of honey after breaking free from their enclosure.

A pair of bears recently created a stir at a wildlife park in southwest England, prompting a police response and the dispatch of a firearms unit. However, the situation took a tranquil turn when the bears, named Mish and Lucy, were discovered peacefully asleep in the honey store. The sleepy siblings had consumed a week’s worth of honey during their escapade at Wildwood Devon. According to Mark Habben, the park’s director of zoological operations, Mish and Lucy managed to escape through a back door that had been inadvertently left open while staff were conducting work inside.

While they weren’t posing a danger to the public, they were roaming in staff areas. With a sense of smell significantly stronger than humans, the bears quickly made their way to the kitchen. Habben noted that a fresh delivery of fruits and vegetables had just arrived before their escape. The bears devoured all the bananas, apples, and other fresh produce, in addition to the honey jars they found nearby.

“They’ve got an amazing sense of smell, so they just wandered around looking for their favorite food items,” he explained. The escape led to an emergency evacuation of the park, but Habben assured that there was no risk of the bears being harmed, as they remained calm throughout the incident. After about an hour of exploration and snacking, Mish, weighing around 400 pounds, simply walked back to his enclosure. Lucy, who weighs about 300 pounds, returned quickly after her keepers called out with a bell they had trained her to follow.

Mish and Lucy were rescued as cubs from a snow drift in Albania in 2019. Initially intended for release in Romania, they now enjoy their home in a specially created habitat at Wildwood. Habben described the bears as inquisitive and friendly, highlighting their playful nature.