A black bear "dropped by" a library in the U.S.—enjoyed snacks and ate a jar of honey

A guest worthy of the pages of a fairy-tale book visited a library in California — especially considering that this very day marked 100 years since the appearance of Winnie-the-Pooh. A black bear entered the building and, according to reports, helped itself to the staff’s food supplies and did not overlook a jar of honey, UNN reports, citing The Guardian.

Details

As library director Joseph Bopp told local outlet KMPH, at around 6:10 a.m. on Wednesday — more than four hours before the official opening at 10:00 a.m. — a black bear wandered into a branch of the Mono County Library System in the town of Mammoth Lakes.

According to the outlet, the animal got to snacks intended for employees: it ate peanut butter, canned peaches, cookies, and a jar of honey. After that, the bear walked around the library, inspected the shelves of new arrivals and the reference desk, and then went outside on its own.

On Wednesday, the Mono County Office of Education released a statement accompanied by surveillance-camera footage showing the bear walking through the library and sniffing books, a chair, and the floor.

"This morning, before the doors of the Mammoth Lakes library opened to visitors, we received a special guest," the statement said. "One might assume that this new ‘bear’ reader was looking for a copy of ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ — the book that was published exactly 100 years ago!"

Bopp also decided to remind the unexpected guest of the rules: "Although we are always happy to welcome enthusiastic readers and understand how important this centennial anniversary is, we must remind visitors — especially our bears — that food is not part of the library collection."

It should be added

The book "Winnie-the-Pooh," written by A. A. Milne and illustrated by E. H. Shepard, tells of the adventures of the eponymous anthropomorphic bear — a great lover of honey who said of himself that he had "very little brain." Together with his friends — Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Roo — he lives in the Hundred Acre Wood.

The story is based on Milne’s son Christopher Robin’s teddy bear, as well as a real black bear named Winnipeg that lived at the London Zoo. This book and its three sequels remain beloved childhood works for many generations. Many people were also first introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends when The Walt Disney Company adapted Milne’s works for film and television.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the original Winnie-the-Pooh book, the Mono County public libraries invited local residents to visit any of the seven branches to borrow Milne’s classic work or other books about bears. The library network has more than 180,000 printed works and also offers additional online resources.

Although this encounter resembled a scene from a fairy tale, officials reminded residents that black bears are wild animals that must never be approached or fed.

They also urged people to use bear-resistant trash containers and to keep car doors and windows closed.