A black bear walked into the Mammoth Lakes library on Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th birthday and ate the staff’s honey
A black bear got into the library in Mammoth Lakes, California, before it opened on 14 October, the day Winnie-the-Pooh turned 100. It ate the staff’s snacks, including a jar of honey, and left the books alone.
25 October 2026
Photo: Mono County Free Libraries
A black bear walked into the Mammoth Lakes branch of the Mono County library in California early on 14 October, before the doors opened, the library said on Facebook.
That was the day Winnie-the-Pooh turned 100. A. A. Milne’s book first came out on 14 October 1926.
The bear went straight for the staff’s snacks. It “helped itself to peanut butter, a selection of peach cups, a pawful of cookies and, of course, one jar of honey,” the library’s post said, as reported by UPI.
The security cameras caught it walking past the reference desk and the new releases. Then it left on its own.
“No shelves were toppled and no books were harmed,” the library wrote.
“While we love an enthusiastic patron, and we understand the excitement of the centennial, we do remind patrons, and perhaps more importantly, our bears, that snacks are not part of the circulating collection,” said Josef Bopp, the director of libraries.
The jar of honey has not been returned, the library said.
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