Bear breaks into Alaska hospital at 2 am, helps itself to an early Halloween candy buffet
A black bear entered a hospital on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage at about 2 am on 12 October and ate donated Halloween sweets. The unusual visit ended without injuries, but it prompted a warning over the hospital intercom and raised questions about how the animal got inside.
A visitor leaving after seeing her mother spotted the bear in a dim corridor and slowly backed away; she was safe once it became distracted by the candy. The bear later left through the entrance it had used, and staff showed her a surveillance image of it at the emergency department reception desk. As winter approaches, bears feed heavily before hibernation.
- A black bear entered an Alaska hospital around 2 am.
- It ate donated Halloween candy and later left.
- Nobody was injured.
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Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a US military base near Anchorage, Alaska, where a hospital serves people on the base and nearby communities. Black bears live across much of Alaska and may venture into places used by people while searching for food.
In autumn, bears eat heavily to build up energy before winter hibernation. Food left where bears can reach it can attract them, so communities in bear country take care to secure rubbish and other food.