A grizzly bear was able to escape its enclosure at the Calgary Zoo on Sunday morning before being tranquillized and returned to its habitat.Fitz is a one-year-old grizzly bear who was adopted by the Calgary Zoo, alongside his brother Turner, in Fall 2025 after their mother was killed by a hunter in self-defence.Calgary Zoo confirmed that Fitz was able to escape his enclosure at around 7:30 am Sunday morning, about an hour and a half before the zoo was set to open.According to the zoo, Fitz wasn't able to get very far, as emergency response procedures were implemented fast once the escape was noticed.Zoo staff successfully tranquillized Fitz, who was then returned to his enclosure without any incident."Fitz was successfully immobilized, and our Animal Care, Health & Welfare team safely relocated him to his back-of-house space. There were no injuries to guests, staff, volunteers, or animals," a statement from the zoo reads.A further statement from the zoo added that Fitz was able to climb over containment barriers but did not make it far from his enclosure."Our initial investigation suggests that Fitz was able to climb above the containment barriers in place and access an area just outside and above his habitat.".While out of his enclosure Fitz reportedly just briefly walked around the Wild Canada area of the park before being subdued by zoo staff."The grizzly bear got out, took a little walk around the zoo, sat down, and was tranquillized by members of the zoo," said Calgary Police Service Staff Sgt. John Guigon to the CBC."I'm sure they were concerned given it's a grizzly bear and what they are capable of doing, but the bear didn't seem interested in doing much more than just having an adventure."Despite the incident, the zoo opened as scheduled on Sunday, with the exception that the Wild Canada section of the park remained closed while staff conducted a "full assessment of the area." The Wild Canada section was subsequently opened back up to the public in the afternoon.The Calgary Zoo has stated that an internal review will be undertaken to make sure a similar incident does not occur and that the grizzly bear enclosure has sufficient security."Our teams are currently assessing what additional mitigation measures and improvements to the habitat are appropriate based on the findings of the review.""While this review is underway, both Fitz and his brother Turner will remain safely and comfortably in their regular back-of-house space."
