A “hungry” bear cub was busted trying to cross from Canada into the US without the required documentation, officials said.
Photos released Wednesday by Canada Border Services show the small female bear clawing at a border control window at the crossing from British Columbia to Hyder, Alaska.
The agency wrote on Twitter that the animal “sought entry for essential reasons, but had no travel documents.”
“After a forceful attempt on its part to cross the border, our officers moved quickly to apprehend [the bear],” officials added.
The bear was taken to the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter, where she’ll be looked after over the winter, Canadian outlet CBC reported. It’s thought she does not weigh enough to survive hibernation.
Angelika Langen, the shelter’s co-founder, said they had been trying to track the cub for more than a month.
“She kept eluding us,” Langen told the outlet. “One day we got the call and she’s at the border and trying to get in there.”
According to Langen, the young wanderer was probably in search of of berries and other natural food across the border, which has been closed for non-essential travel for over seven months due to the pandemic.
“She was so hungry, she thought that was just a great place to go,” Langen said.
The animal shelter is experiencing a busy year, she added, with “33 black bears and three grizzly bears” currently in care.