On Monday, a bear cub caused quite a stir in Colorado Springs, Colorado, when it fell asleep in a rather unusual place. To onlookers, the entire situation was something of a reverse version of the famed Goldilocks and the Three Bears story. In this real-life version of the fairy tale, the star is a lonely, sleepy baby bear seeking food and a place to sleep that are both “just right.”
According to the Associated Press , the little bear, which was later identified as female, was first seen near Colorado Springs’s Palmer High School. The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that an unidentified individual contacted the school after spotting the wandering cub nearby. Blanca Caro, the Palmer High police school resource officer, immediately contacted authorities.
The orphaned animal’s presence nearly caused the school to be locked down. This was avoided once it was determined the lost cub was no threat to students or staff.
Bear walks into Colo. pizza shop, has a snack, takes a nap http://t.co/kRp6vgIZTr #Daybreak8 pic.twitter.com/t3veol5crd
— WISH-TV (@WISH_TV) September 15, 2015
Like many a youngster given the opportunity to “play hooky,” the bear cub passed on education and decided that a trip to the pizza shop was a better way to spend her time. An employee at Louie’s Pizza told the Gazette that the animal wandered into the pizza place via an open door. After walking past the restrooms, the cub made her way to the shop’s prep area.
The naughty bear cub got into the cini-bread icing and played with some of the supplies. She then decided to curl up on the second shelf of a storage rack and fall asleep. By the time she was comfortable, a Louie’s Pizza worker had decided to check out all the noise in the back. Sawyer Janney, who works at the pizza shop, confesses he was initially startled by the situation.
A co-worker shouted that a bear was in the shop and ran outside. The initial sense of panic faded once everyone realized it was just a sleeping cub. After all, one can only be so scared of an adorable baby bear sleeping beside pizza boxes. Meanwhile, officers with Parks & Wildlife responded to Caro’s call reporting a bear in the area. Police who were searching near the high school were alerted to the animal’s presence at the pizza shop. When authorities arrived, they found the cub completely asleep in the back.
An officer woke the young bear, so it could be safely tranquilized. Anxious customers had to wait until the cub was removed from the premises before they could get their food. The bear cub was taken to a rehabilitation center to recover. There it was revealed she was malnourished and had an open wound that required treatment.
This bear cub did something we’ve only dreamed of: Curled up and took a nap in a pizza shop – http://t.co/1wj1c4Z0hL pic.twitter.com/COqAfOIniA
— First We Feast (@firstwefeast) September 15, 2015
Louie’s Pizza has enjoyed a great deal of free publicity in relation to the incident, happily posting images of the animal on its official Facebook page . When one fan expressed concerned that the adorable creature might “get put down,” the Louie’s Pizza account responded with good news.
“She won’t [get put down]. Animal Control came and got her. She’s just a baby.”
Hopefully, that means there will be a happy ending to the story of the baby bear who fell asleep at a Colorado Springs pizza parlor.
[Image Credit: Louie’s Pizza Official Facebook Page ]
