Black bear wanders into California library and eats staff snacks

A black bear walked into a public library in Mammoth Lakes, California, at about 6.10am on Wednesday, more than four hours before opening time. The building is a branch of the Mono county free libraries. The visit coincided with the 100th anniversary of AA Milne's book Winnie-the-Pooh.

Library director Josef Bopp told local news outlet KMPH that the bear got into the staff snack supply, eating peanut butter, peach cups, cookies and a jar of honey. It then roamed the building, passing the new releases section and the reference desk, and left on its own.

The Mono county office of education released surveillance footage showing the bear strolling through the library and sniffing books, a chair and the floor. In its statement, the office joked that the new "librarian" was probably looking for a copy of Winnie-the-Pooh. Bopp added that snacks are not part of the circulating collection.

The book's anniversary

Written by Milne and illustrated by EH Shepard, the book follows a honey-loving "bear of very little brain" and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. It was inspired partly by a teddy bear owned by Milne's son, Christopher Robin, and by a real black bear named Winnipeg at London Zoo. The book and its three sequels have been childhood favourites for generations, and many people also came to know the characters through Walt Disney Company films and television.

To mark the anniversary, Mono county free libraries invited residents to borrow a copy of the classic or other bear-themed books from any of its seven branches. The system holds more than 180,000 physical titles, plus online resources.

Safety reminder

Officials reminded residents that black bears are wild animals and should never be approached or fed. They urged people to use bear-proof trash containers and keep car doors and windows closed.