Crossword Genius

Confirm that the wild animal has escaped (4,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

bear out

'confirm' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'the wild animal has escaped' is the wordplay.
'the wild animal' becomes 'bear' (bears are wild animals).
'has' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'escaped' becomes 'out' (I've seen this before).
'bear'+'out'='BEAR OUT'

'that' is the link.

(Other definitions for bear out that I've seen before include "Confirm - or carry away" , "Confirm - or carry from house" , "Confirm (something)" , "Corroborate, support with evidence" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish News.
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