Grizzly bear escapes habitat at Calgary Zoo

The Calgary Zoo activated emergency response protocols after a grizzly bear managed to escape from its habitat on Sunday.

One-year-old grizzly bear Fitz “exited his habitat” around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, the Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo said in a statement provided to Postmedia.

“Established emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and trained Animal Care, Health & Welfare and Security teams responded,” the zoo said.

The grizzly was quickly “immobilized,” and zoo staff relocated him to a back-of-house space, the zoo said.

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The zoo opened to the public shortly after 9 a.m., but the Wild Canada exhibit remained temporarily closed while our teams completed a full assessment of the area.

“The zoo’s priority throughout the response was the safety of our staff, volunteers, guests and animals,” the zoo said.

As of Monday, it still wasn’t known how the grizzly managed to escape its habitat.

The zoo said its teams are “reviewing the circumstances of the incident as part of established procedures,” and is expected to provide more information at a later time.

Calgary police confirmed officers were called around 7:45 a.m. by zoo staff for support after a bear left its enclosure.

“Officers remained outside of the zoo, and weren’t required to offer any assistance,” the Calgary Police Service said in an email.

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