Tibetan bears at a zoo in Chengdu, southwest China, tore apart one of two scarecrows tossed into the bear pit that were meant to simulate real people that had accidentally fallen into the animals' habitat during an emergency drill on June 19, 2014.
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Tibetan bears attack a scarecrow meant to simulate a real person that fell into the animals' habitat at a zoo in Chengdu on Thursday, June 19, 2014. The drill was conducted to test the emergency response capabilities of both the zoo and local authorities. |
Zoo staff tried to disperse and distract the bears with long poles, water cannons and waving around a firebrand. One bear was tranquilized when it refused to retreat. After the drill was over, zoo workers came in and removed the two straw "visitors."
The drill was conducted to test the emergency response capabilities of both the zoo and local authorities. Police were called during the drill to report the incident, as if actual people had fallen in the bear pit and been injured.
The zoo also used the exercise to remind the public of safety measures that must be followed when feeding the animals.
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