Bear test in the zoo košice, (source: TASR)
LATE NIGHT snacking may soon be a thing of the past for wild bears as zookeepers put innovative trash cans to the test at Košice zoo.
A pair of bears, Žabo and Ivan, were tempted to open the test cans by scent of their favourite delicacies: fruits, honey and fish. They tried to pry the receptacles open for about an hour and was successful, but only managed to tear off the rubber gasket.
“It ended with a success, as the intention was fulfilled,” zoologist Patrik Pastorek told the TASR newswire. “Our bears had fun, moreover.”
The test was made within the cooperation with the non-profit organisation Slovak Wildlife Society (SWS), which then brought the container to the Tatras as part of efforts to prevent bears from coming close to homes and hotels in pursuit of a snack.
Michal Haring of SWS told TASR that the container with a double lock and a lockable bar prevents bears from getting inside.
“We have tested it successfully in the US, in the Yellowstone National Park,” Haring said. “This specific container has been tested for the first time here, at Košice zoo, and then it has gone to Tatranská Lesná to be tested in the field.”
