See more of our coverage in your search results.
A bear-y suspicious bookworm went on a sticky-fingered adventure in a California library, and this silly old bear may have had one thing on his mind: honey!
The un-bear-lievable intruder turned the Mammoth Lakes Library into his own private reading den early Wednesday,wandering through the building before human patrons could get their paws on the place.
Instead of getting shushed by a librarian, the furry trespasser got an empty building all to himself — no lines, no overdue fees and certainly no need to check out.
Naturally, the Mono County Office of Education couldn’t resist connecting the woodland wanderer to literature’s most famously honey-obsessed bear.
“We can only assume the new Li-BEAR-ian was looking for a copy of Winnie The Pooh,” the agency quipped in a social media post.
Talk about a hunny of a coincidence: Oct. 14 marked exactly 100 years since Winnie The Pooh was first published in1926, giving the bear’s bookish break-in some storybook-worthy timing.
Whether the visitor was searching for Pooh’s adventures or simply nosing around somewhere new, officials haven’t revealed what drew him inside. And despite the honey-themed suspicions, there’s no confirmation that the bear found any sweet treats during his literary excursion.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!
Surveillance footage captured the animal making its way around the library’s upper floor, where a carpeted walkway offered plenty of books to browse — although the bear didn’t exactly look like it was preparing for a book club meeting.
The mystery deepened when it came to the bear’s entrance. Officials haven’t explained how the animal got into the building, but at least the furry freeloading didn’t require a staff intervention: He had already made his own exit before employees arrived.
No word on whether he checked out a book, returned one late or left with a serious case of the munchies.
The Mammoth Lakes branch is part of the Mono County Free Libraries system, which operates seven locations and boasts more than 180,000 physical titles, plus additional digital materials. That’s a whole lot of pages for one bear to paw through — though this particular visitor apparently preferred browsing without an appointment.
For the library, it was an unusual morning call. For the internet, it was a chance to appreciate a bear who seems to have taken the phrase “bookworm” a little too literally.