Bear shot dead at zoo after escaping with brother

A hybrid bear has been shot at a German zoo after she escaped from her enclosure with her brother on Saturday.

The female bear, Tips, was killed at Osnabrück Zoo after breaking through fencing and wandering into a lion compound.

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According to The Sun, zoo workers said it would have taken 20 minutes for a tranquiliser gun to act, which would be too long to guarantee the safety of visitors.

Tips' brother Taps remained inside the enclosure and zoo staff were able to move him back into his pen.

Officials said 4,000 people were evacuated from the animal park.

Speaking to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency, the zoo's business manager Andreas Busemann said: "We reacted immediately with the team; to protect visitors we had to shoot the animal."

The public was later allowed to return to the zoo, with the area where the incident happened closed off.

Zoo officials were devastated by the killing and said: "We mourn the passing of one of our favourite zoo residents. We ask for your understanding that, for more information, we still need some time."