Wild bear makes 'very polite' surprise visit to California zoo before returning to forest

A young American black bear made an unexpected but calm appearance at Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka California this week delighting staff NEW YEAR NEW ADVENTURE AS TRAVELERS CAN SLEEP NEAR WILD ANIMALS WHILE VISITING SAFARI PARKZoo personnel described the roughly -year-old bear as very polite during its brief visit The curious newcomer likely a in recent days independent cub climbed a tree near the perimeter fence a favorite activity for adventurous young bears and wandered in from the neighboring -acre Sequoia Park forest Bears are common in the surrounding redwood forest zoo staff explained to Fox News Digital But this is the first to visit our bear family BEARS ESCAPE WILDLIFE PARK ENCLOSURE AND FEAST ON WEEK'S WORTH OF HONEYOnce inside the wild visitor sniffed around investigated scents from the zoo s resident bears and kept a respectful distance The encounter remained uneventful there was no aggression or disruption and the bear never entered any habitats or residents spaces MAN DIES IN LIKELY BEAR ATTACK AT ARKANSAS CAMPSITE DAYS AFTER SENDING PHOTOS OF ANIMAL TO FAMILYWhen staff opened a gate to offer a safe exit the young bear merely returned to the forest on its own The Sequoia Park Zoo emphasized that the event did not highlight conflict between the wild bears and those in captivity but rather a peaceful coexistence CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERThe zoo s resident bears who can often be seen climbing -foot redwoods or swimming in their naturalistic habitat were placed there by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after being deemed unsuitable for wild release CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES Our message is all about keeping wild bears wild the zoo noted Encounters like this remind us we share space with incredible wildlife and that respectful distance helps keep them safe No video exists of the wild bear s visit though the zoo issued two official photos of the friendly visitor TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZZoo representatives noted that black bears are generally not aggressive and in fact often avoid contact with people