Wild bear wanders into Northern California zoo, ‘interacts’ with the resident bears

A wild bear wandered into Eureka’s Sequoia Park Zoo and “interacted” with the three zoo bears across the fence before it was persuaded to leave through a service gate, zoo officials said.

The unusual visit happened Friday morning. Employees were conducting the daily inspection of the zoo’s Redwood Sky Walk when one of them noticed the black bear on the boardwalk.

“Our three bears are very distinctive in appearance, and I recognized right away that it was not one of ours,” Christine Noel was quoted as saying in the zoo’s press release.

The wild bear “did not appear aggressive” and didn’t enter any animal habitats, officials said. It did appear interested in the zoo bears, Tule, Ishŭng and Nabu, and also made a “brief exploration of the enrichment items around the night house.”

Zoo employees and a warden from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife ushered the bear out, back into the forested area of Sequoia Park.

The zoo’s press release said it’s not known how the bear got into the zoo, which is enclosed by a fence. Bears are among the animals that live in the 60-acre park within Eureka’s city limits.

Two of the zoo’s resident bears — Tule, who is about 3½ years old, and Nabu, about a year old — were found as cubs in the wild and were taken in by wildlife rehabilitation groups before coming to the zoo. Ishŭng, also 3½, arrived at the zoo in March from an animal sanctuary where she had grown to an alarming 500 pounds.

Sequoia Park is having a moment in the spotlight as a location in the movie “One Battle After Another.” It is portrayed as the exit of an escape tunnel from the home of Bob, the character played by Leonardo diCaprio.