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Grizzly bear cub escapes enclosure at Calgary zoo
Posted Aug 17, 2026 9:18 am.
Last Updated Aug 17, 2026 4:40 pm.
An internal review is underway after a short-lived escape by a grizzly bear cub at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo prompted an early‑morning emergency response over the weekend.
Zoo officials say staff discovered that one-year-old Fitz was not in his usual spot during routine checks before the zoo opened and had managed to climb out of his habitat.
In an update Monday afternoon, Colleen Baird, Director of Animal Care, Health & Welfare, said the cub was found just outside the enclosure and appeared calm. She says he seemed eager to return to his habitat but could not climb back in.
“It was surprising…it’s not the kind of call I normally get on a Sunday,” she said. “We don’t really know what would motivate him to climb up and out.”
The welfare team quickly activated its emergency protocol and Fitz was anesthetized, assessed, and safely returned to his back‑of‑house space. He had no injuries, according to officials.
The incident occurred before the zoo opened to visitors, and the surrounding area remained closed until an assessment was completed later that afternoon.
Baird says Fitz’s enclosure stands eight to ten-feet high with an overhang.
“He would have had to gone through some heavy lifting to get out,” she says, adding that while the habitat is designed to contain a bear, staff are now reviewing how improvements can be made.
She stressed that the zoo remains safe for guests to visit.
“The habitat remains safe and suitable.”
Zoo staff notified Calgary police on Sunday morning as part of standard procedure
Fitz and his brother Turner arrived at the Calgary Zoo last May after losing their mother in an encounter with a human.
