Wildlife officials in Tennessee have euthanized a bear matching the description of a bear that walked into a concession stand and helped itself to food before attacking an employee, authorities said.
The bear was captured on camera Thursday evening at the concession stand — appropriately named Bear Can — at Anakeesta, an adventure park in eastern Tennessee, officials said in a news release. According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the bear stood on its hind legs for a few seconds while looking at customers and eating food.
The bear appeared to be on its way to leave the stand when it encountered a worker, startling them both and causing “brief physical contact” with a park employee, the agency said. The employee suffered minor, superficial injuries to her arm and back.
Afterwards, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency captured several bears. One bear “matching the description of the bear involved in the concession stand incident” was euthanized after being caught, the agency said. Two others – a female with four cubs and a larger male bear – were captured and then released.
“TWRA doesn’t like having to euthanize wildlife, especially bears, and we don’t do it indiscriminately,” said Dan Gibbs, the state’s black bear coordinator.
The agency uses a Bear Conflict Matrix to determine whether euthanasia is appropriate, Gibbs said, adding that this bear was not a candidate for rehoming because it had entered a booth with people present and made physical contact with an employee.
Wildlife agency and park officials met Monday to discuss temporary waste storage and food access issues in the park. After the bear incident, Anakeesta purchased temporary electric fencing and electrified “unwelcome mats” for use when the park is closed to guests, state officials said. The park also ordered steel cages to secure concession stand doors.
There is a large population of black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which surrounds Anakeesta on three sides. “Bears are a big part of the magic in the Great Smoky Mountains,” said Austin Martin, Anakeesta communications manager. “The Anakeesta team is working diligently to create a safe space where they can coexist with native wildlife.”
Tennessee is home to approximately 5,000 to 6,000 bears.
