The search continues for a 350-pound brown bear that escaped overnight from an Ontario zoo.

The Niagara Regional Police say it happened shortly before midnight at ZooZ Animal Zoo in Stevensville.

The bear, named "Willy," is a five-year-old brown bear, not a 700-pound grizzly bear as first reported by police.

Police, employees from ZooZ and a local veterinarian are all on scene assisting in the search.

A helicopter from the Niagara County Sheriff's Department is also in the air looking for the bear.

Niagara Regional Police say they are holding a tight perimeter around the zoo and that there have been no confirmed sightings since early Wednesday morning.

The owner of the zoo said the bear escaped sometime after 11pm, and was soon spotted by a resident who lives nearby.

She notified police.

The zoo owner said the cage the bear escaped from has a 9-foot fence, with an electric fence inside it as well.

She wouldn't say if the fence was damaged.

The zoo owner they don't believe the bear is dangerous to humans, because he's primarily a vegetarian.

However, police are advising people not to approach the bear and bring pets inside.