GATLINBURG, Tenn. (story courtesy of WVLT) – A woman claims she was bitten and dragged from her home by a black bear this week, according to Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency representative Matthew Cameron.
Cameron said wildlife officers received a report that a woman had been bitten by a black bear and dragged from her porch just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Officials said that when officers arrived at the home on Jefferson Road in Sevier County near Gatlinburg they saw a yearling bear inside a trap that had been set following a previous incident at the same residence last Friday.
Cameron said that earlier incident involved a bear breaking into a vehicle and causing extensive damage, ultimately rendering the vehicle a total loss. Groceries were present inside the vehicle at the time of the break-in.
In addition to the yearling bear in the trap, officers encountered an adult female bear and another yearling bear nearby, Cameron said.
Due to the bears’ behavior and level of habituation and food conditioning, both the adult bear and the third bear were lethally removed due to the risk they posed to public safety. The yearling bear in the trap was also humanely killed in accordance with our wildlife management protocols.Matthew Cameron Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Officials said that emergency medical services evaluated the woman involved in the incident and determined she had not sustain any injuries or bite marks.
Cameron said that the level of risk posed by these bears was significant and the bears had become food-conditioned and habituated to human presence, resulting in repeated property damage and increasingly bold behavior, including entering vehicles and, ultimately, this human encounter.
Per TWRA protocol called the Human-Bear Conflict Matrix, bears that display this kind of behavior are considered a public safety concern, Cameron said.
Because relocation is not a viable option, particularly in cases involving food conditioning and vehicle break-ins, lethal removal becomes a necessary step to protect public safety, Cameron said to WVLT.
These decisions are never made lightly, and we understand the public’s concern. Our priority is always to ensure the safety of both people and wildlife, and we remain committed to proactive measures to reduce bear conflicts in our communities.Matthew Cameron Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
TWRA encourages residents living in bear country to be proactive and download the At Home Checklist from BearWise.org to learn how to identify and secure items that attract bears. Many bear encounters can be avoided with a few simple preventative steps.
