Conservation officers say a young bear that escaped from an animal rehabilitation facility in Langley may have wandered into the United States.

The getaway happened on Sunday afternoon after part of the roof on one of the enclosures at the facility collapsed, creating a hole just big enough for five bears inside to crawl through.

By the time the staff at Critter Care Wildlife Society noticed the pen had been damaged, all five animals were already standing on the roof.

"They were kind of just checking things out and going, 'Hey, we're on the roof. I wonder what we do now?" said Senior Animal Care Supervisor Angela Fontana.

"We used peanuts to lure four of them back into the enclosure but one of the bears managed to escape."

The escapee took off running toward the U.S. border and hasn't been seen since.

No threat to the public

"I guess you could call it the biggest prison escape for bears in the province," said Conservation Officer Jack Trudgian.

"In Langley there are approximately two bears, so this will increase the bear population by 33 percent if it hangs around."

Trudgian says the bear poses no threat to the public.

"Langley does have a small bear population and this bear is either going to mingle with the population or it could possibly be in the United States by now," he said.

"These bears were going to be relocated somewhere this week anyway, so it is definitely capable of looking after itself."

Critter Care is a non-profit organization and Fontana hopes donations from the public will help cover the cost of repairing the roof.