'Lonely' bear drops by California zoo, minds its manners, wins fans

The animal paid a polite call to its fenced-in neighbors at the Eureka facility.

- BY KAREN GARCIA

A wild, very “polite” and possibly lonely black bear recently paid a visit to its neighbors at a Northern California zoo.

Before opening for the day, staff at Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka were conducting a routine inspection of the Redwood Sky Walk — a self-guided tour of local redwood history and ecology — when they were surprised by a unique visitor.

On the tour trail was a wild American black bear leaning on a gate to peer in at the three black bears in their habitat within the park, according to the zoo’s Facebook post.

“The wild bear did not appear aggressive and was observed interacting with Tule, Ishung and Kunabulilh through their habitat fencing,” the post said.

The Eureka Police Department got a call about the curious visitor around 9:30 a.m. Friday and responded to the zoo along with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“We respond to bear calls within the city of Eureka quite often, but having a wild bear get into the zoo is a first,” said Peter Tira, spokesperson for Fish and Wildlife.