Grizzly bear relaxing on a rock on a hot summer day at the zoo
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A 23-year-old visitor at the Warsaw Zoo in Poland has been sentenced to steep fines and community service after entering a bear enclosure on Thursday and tussling with the animal, allegedly while drunk.
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In addition to animal cruelty charges, the young man was also charged with disturbing the peace for not abiding by the mask requirements of the newly reopened zoo.
The incident, which took place on Thursday, has also prompted city officials and zoo authorities to transfer the two bears that live in the enclosure to a more interior area of the space, and restrict their access to an artificial island closer to the gate, Poland’s Rzeczpospolita reports.
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Footage of the incident, which was first shared to Twitter last week, shows the man standing on an artificial island inside the bear enclosure when Sabrina — a bear that previously performed in a circus before being transferred to the Warsaw Zoo — starts moving toward him. The man then flees into a moat to escape, only for Sabrina to follow him into the water about 30 seconds later. The man then manages to get on Sabrina’s back, holding the bear by her ears, and around her neck.
The man later extracted himself from the water and back onto the artificial island, where he was extracted by a local fire brigade, according to Rzeczpospolita.
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The man was later charged with animal cruelty and disturbing the peace, a charge that was tacked on for failing to wear a mask, The Independent reported. He was sentenced to 2 years of community service (at 20 hours per month) and at least 5,000 PLN, or roughly $1,235 in fines.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Warsaw's city hall confirmed that the bears had already been moved to the inner garden area.
"Our two bears from the Warsaw ZOO have already been moved into the garden," wrote Karolina Gałecka, according to a translated tweet. "Safe and calm, recovering from anesthesia alongside the third bear."
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Zoo officials said the bear, Sabrina, was traumatized during the incident, although not physically harmed. A spokesman added that it was likely she did not attack as she had previously belonged to a circus, and was more accustomed to interacting with humans, The Independent reported.
“She used to belong to a circus and is accustomed to the presence of people, but she absolutely did not expect a human attack,” said Ann Karczewska, according to the outlet.
“Sabina, an old bear who was attacked by an adult man, physically came out of this event unscathed, but she is very stressed.”
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