Bear shot dead at German zoo after escaping from cage
Taps was a so-called cappuccino bear – a cross between a brown bear and a polar bear
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A bear that broke out of its cage at a zoo in northern Germany was shot dead by a zookeeper while visitors were evacuated, police have said.
After the bear escaped through a hole in its cage, the staff at the zoo in Osnabrueck took visitors into the monkey house to shelter, German media reported.
The zookeeper shot the bear dead before the police arrived at the scene, the head of the zoo Andreas Busemann said.
"We reacted immediately with our team, and in order to protect the visitors, we had to shoot him," he added.
Mr Busemann said the bear, called Taps, was one of the zoo's main attractions, a so-called cappuccino bear – with a polar bear and a brown bear as parents.
"Numerous police officers rushed to the zoo [...] together with staff at the zoo, the whole area was evacuated," a police spokeswoman said, adding that a second bear had been found safe inside its pen.
No one was hurt in the incident.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments