Real Bear Shows Up at U.S. Library on 'Winnie-the-Pooh' 100th Anniversary, Polishes Off Jar of Honey

Ate staff snacks and polished off a jar of honey
No damage to books or bookshelves at the library

On the day the children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” marked its 100th anniversary, a real bear caused a commotion at a U.S. library by polishing off a jar of honey and disappearing.

According to the Mono County Library in California on October 15 local time, a wild black bear broke into the Mammoth Lakes branch at around 6:10 a.m. the previous day. Arriving nearly four hours before the library opened at 10 a.m., the bear headed straight for the staff snack pantry. It ate peanut butter, peaches and cookies, then polished off a jar of honey.

Mono County Library Facebook

After filling its belly, the bear looked around the new-book display and reference desk before opening the library door and strolling out. The library said that although the bear had broken in, no books were damaged and no bookshelves were knocked over. It joked, however, that “the honey jar has yet to be returned.”

“We love enthusiastic patrons and understand the excitement surrounding the 100th anniversary of ‘Winnie-the-Pooh,’ but we’d like to remind everyone that snacks are not available for checkout,” said Joseph Bob, director of the Mono County Library.

He also urged residents to celebrate the book’s 100th anniversary by visiting the library and borrowing books, including “Winnie-the-Pooh.” He added that “only humans are eligible to use the library.”

The library cautioned that while Winnie-the-Pooh is a cute character, real bears are wild animals, and urged people not to approach or feed them and to follow safety guidelines.

“Winnie-the-Pooh,” a children’s book by British author Alan Alexander Milne, was first published on October 14, 1926.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.