Throughout June, there have been multiple bear sightings across Middle Tennessee in populated areas, with sightings near the Coffee-Warren County line being reported this week. A sighting of a black bear in Lewisburg in Marshall County on June 7 led to a streak of sightings throughout Middle Tennessee. In early June, two videos of black bears in Maury County made the rounds on Facebook. More black bear sightings occurred in, of all places, south Nashville in the Paragon Mills Road area and then further south on Townes Drive. Just last week, sightings occurred in Smyrna and days ago, Manchester Police Department reported sightings of bears in neighboring Coffee County. There was a reported sighting made this week near Boskey’s Grille, around six miles from Morrison and 18 miles from McMinnville city limits.
The bear sighted in South Nashville was hit by a car earlier this month. Shortly after being hit, the bear was still being sighted and was not seriously injured. “It didn’t miss a beat,” Barry Cross, spokesman for Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), said. Bear sightings have popped up throughout Middle Tennessee since then, including Columbia in Maury County, Thompson’s Station, Franklin in Williamson County and the Green Tree area of Smyrna.
The TWRA urges Tennesseans to report any sightings of sick, injured or possibly orphaned bears. Bears that have injuries which could prevent them from climbing trees and foraging should be reported to TWRA as well.
Within the city limits, bears can be drawn by the smell of grills, garbage and other food. Feeding birds or other wildlife in areas where bears have been sighted is also discouraged. Across the country, it’s been seen that bears that forage from human food sources or who are deliberately fed by humans have shorter life spans. Bears becoming more accustomed to human presence can be dangerous for both parties.
Black bears are most active around dawn and dusk. Black bears are generally not aggressive towards people and will go out of their way to avoid human contact, but as humans continue to encroach on their living spaces, along with the increase in bear population, it’s inevitable that bears and humans will occasionally come into contact.
The TWRA warns people to never feed or approach any bear and reminds citizens that if they see a bear approaching, it is generally just trying to assess your potential danger to them.
If you see a bear from a distance, the TWRA recommends making your presence known by yelling and shouting in an attempt to scare it away.
You should try to return back the way you came or wait until the bear leaves the area on its own. Keep all food stored in a vehicle away from tents when camping in bear country and never run from a bear, as it can trigger the instinct to chase. If you are confronted at a close distance, TWRA recommends to “fight back aggressively” and not to play dead. They recommend using pepper spray, sticks, rocks or anything handy to defend yourself. If you see a bear slap the ground, pop their jaws or “huff,” this could be a sign the bear feels you are too close. Slowly back away while continuing to stay facing the bear.
You can contact TWRA or report sightings of injured or dangerous animals at https://www.tn.gov/twra and visit Bearwise.org for more bear safety tips.
