Yogi Bear, the animated Hanna Barbera character, once ruled Jellystone Park where his reign of terror meant no pic-a-nik basket was safe from his greedy paws. Now, Yogi has a little competition in the real world where a honey-stealing bear is tormenting Susquehanna University.
The crime spree started when staff at the Pennsylvania university found that one of the bee hives at the Center for Earth and Environmental Research had been ransacked and “heavily licked.”
According to a university posting about the honey-coated robbery, Susquehanna is the first university in Pennsylvania to be certified as an affiliate of the Bee Campus USA program, helping to protect bees and promote a healthy environment, so this honey-stealing business is serious indeed. University staff was able to reassemble the damaged hive, but the crook came back the very next night to once again dip his undoubtedly very sticky paws back in the hive for more honey.
To protect their sweet assets, the university’s resident beekeeper decided to hide Susquehanna’s hives behind an electrified fence on his property in the hopes that a nasty shock will dissuade the crook.
While they have no solid proof or photographic evidence of the criminal mastermind at work, the university is confident that the thief is a “naughty bear”. Now, the university has put out an APB asking people to keep a look-out for the wanted honey robber. “We’re on the lookout for a honey thief! We believe a black bear with a rumbly in his tumbly broke into the campus beehives last weekend. Fortunately, the bees are now safe!” they posted on Facebook with a sketch artist’s rendering of the likely thief. Not included in the description? Honey covered paws and a very full tummy.
The thief has so far eluded capture, but university officials have teamed up with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to bait a live trap with something even Yogi Bear would be unable to resist—donuts.
