Zero had been chasing a toy and fell, but was caught by a net suspended over the 5m-deep moat. He was not injured, so a zoo crew cut the net so he could be lowered to the moat floor—and the wait began for him to climb out. Two weeks later, one of Dawes’ Link-Belt 50-ton (45t) cranes lowered a “bear transport cage” filled with Zero’s favorite food, hoping to lure him into it so the crane could lift him back to his habitat. He showed some interest, but wouldn’t enter the cage. Dawes remained on standby to come and hoist the cage out of the moat once Zero was secured inside. Never happened.
Three days later, on October 31, the crane from Dawes returned. Zoo veterinarians shot Zero with darts containing a combination of anesthesia and muscle relaxants. The head veterinarian took a closer look from the crane’s man-basket to ensure that Zero was really out cold. Then a crew of 10 zoo personnel pushed the unconscious bear onto a rigging net system that would move him into the crate. Then the crate was wrapped in a cargo net and lifted by the crane from the moat to a holding area, where Zero rested until he was able to return to his habitat.
