Bear shot dead at German zoo after escaping from cage

[April 01, 2017]    BERLIN (Reuters) - A brown bear broke out of its cage at a zoo in northern Germany on Saturday and was shot dead by a zoo keeper after shocked visitors were led to safety, police said.

Nord West Media TV said the bear escaped through a hole in its cage and that staff at the zoo in Osnabrueck took visitors into the monkey house to shelter.

"Numerous police officers rushed to the zoo ... together with staff at the zoo, the whole area was evacuated," a police spokeswoman said, adding that a second bear had been found safe inside its pen. No one was hurt in the incident.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Helen Popper)

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