Black bear spotted in downtown Knoxville

BY PGF
1 year, 3 months ago

Video here. News story here.

Goldsby’s husband, Thomas, was out walking their elderly dog, Dandy, at about 4:45 a.m. along Main Street when he ran into a Knoxville police officer shining his spotlight along the First Baptist Church lawn.

The officer rolled down his window and asked him if he had seen a bear.

[…]

Bear sightings in Knoxville occur with some frequency. Erland [PD Spokespuppet] said he recalled one instance, about three years ago, when a bear refused to leave a tree in Morningside Gardens Apartments in the Five Points neighborhood. In that instance, TWRA wildlife officers tranquilized the bear and relocated it to a forest, he said.

Bear populations are growing in Tennessee, but it is more common to see bears in the spring and summer, according to the TWRA website.

East Tennessee’s black bears are normally elusive and shy animals, and unless they have become accustomed to human food sources, they tend to avoid people, the website says.

Any local can tell you that that is a bald-faced lie. The article had just said sightings “occur with some frequency,” which is much closer to the truth. It’s never good to see a bear in winter. Winter bears are usually hungry and may have no fixed den location. They should be avoided. Info about bear dens is here and here. I suspect they’re living within city limits and certainly in Knox County.

If you encounter a bear at close range, the TWRA advises, “Make your presence known by yelling and shouting at the bear in an attempt to scare it away. If a bear is reluctant to leave then proceed to throw rocks or other objects at the bear while continuing to yell. Portray yourself as the dominant animal and do not back down. If a bear is close enough that you feel uncomfortable, slowly back away, continuing to yell while watching the bear at all times. Never run from a black bear as this may trigger a natural response to chase.”

Discharging a firearm inside city limits is illegal, but self-defense, which the State has preeminence over, is not. I generally carry hollow points unless purposefully going to a less populated region; that may have to change. Run by communists and being overwhelmed with carpetbagging leftists who destroyed Maryland, California, Illinois, and Massachusetts, Knoxville is turning into an unpleasant place to live; bears are the least of its problems.


Comments

  1. On December 13, 2022 at 7:02 am, Joe Blow said:

    Interesting, I live just outside knoxvegas in Roane county. Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are the big vacation towns in the smokey mtns, maybe 30 minutes from downtown Knox (where bear was sighted). You will see a bear in PF or G’burg almost daily, just ambling down a 4 lane road like nothing. They are very acclimated and not at all afraid of humans there. That one would wander out of the mountains and make it to downtown isn’t surprising (honestly, 1 road… could take a bear maybe 5-6 hrs at a good pace). Even my suburb (yet another 45 min further west) occasionally gets a male cub going walkabout (and some do live permanently in this area, TWRA has tracking collars on them). These bears are NOT acclimated to humans, and almost never have interactions. Once in the 8 years I’ve lived here there was a sighting here in town. Couple hours, he was just passing through.
    There is/are preservation efforts and I do believe they are effective, populations seem to be increasing. Fortunately most interactions are peaceful. In my own experience hiking we have been ‘close’ to bears a couple times (fresh scat observed). Making lots of noise, whistling, talking, calling our dog(s), I believe provided sufficient advanced warning the bear(s) decided it best to move along as we came through. This is how I was trained to be in the woods in bear country – make lots of noise. While I always do have my pistol with me, its never been needed (thankfully, I carry a 9mm with HPs! Not much against a bear!)
    Statistics dictate as (both) populations increase, interactions will too. The rate of building here is astounding, but the vacation rental racket up in the mountains is truly staggering. Completely commercialized with investors and rental cabins built mere feet away from each other. Disgusting, locals never go up there. The People who contribute to acclimating them in the vacation towns are the real problem (food/trash out, etc.), and get regular coverage – there is even a job posting here for can monkeys (take trash can out of locked receptacle outside vacation rental, drag to curb for pickup, return to locked receptacle after pickup). 15/hr because the air b n b customers are too stupid/lazy to complete the task – bears wander all over vacation areas searching trash for food and thus become acclimated to humans. You regularly see trash that was not secured strewn all over due to bears.
    Weather here is just starting to get cold. I honestly think this is just natures way? The males get kicked out of the den at a certain age by Mom. They go walkabout and find a new home for themselves. Maybe this one was a late bloomer and didn’t go in the Spring like he was supposed to, or got an early start on the Spring moveout rush? Streets in Knox are pretty dead at 430, I used to deliver to restaurants at that time. Biggest concern would be the bright light bulbs at UT (that sighting was blocks from campus). So many smart city kids would think its a selfie opportunity, but then its that same demographic that screws the bears up in the vacation towns, too… I think its just a fact of life here, you’re near the mountains. Our living spaces overlap. Was like that near the ADKs, too.

    Now as to the final thoughts, yeah, knoxville, like all ‘cities’ is the problem. Its stunning how blues all congregate in dense city areas, and reds all want to spread out. Why do we force ourselves to try to get along? There has to be a peaceful solution with disengagement, just can’t define it.
    Its not too bad here yet, none of the liberal BS ever makes it out of Knox county and into the suburbs (Nashville is a mess!) The influx of people is scaring me though. Outsiders aren’t welcomed here anymore. If you haven’t moved out of a blue hive by now, you’re too late. The locals don’t want you here, myself included. Its palpable, on purpose (I have a strong NY accent, I have to tell people I’ve lived here for years, and many still don’t trust me).

  2. On December 13, 2022 at 8:00 pm, Sisu said:

    PGF, You offer an interesting comment at the very end of the post. Perhaps I don’t understand but it seems implicitly contrary to (which so many readers of this and many other sites) suggest that “voting with one’s feet” benefits those who think such an emotional answer will change for the “positive” any (emigrant or immigrant) political environment. …

    Wait, isn’t TN represented by OooHhhoo Soooo Many Rinos ? …

    It is very interesting to see search results which suggest that “TN” is “conservative”.

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