Written by: Charlene Arnold
In an August 29 newscast, NewsChannel 9 used a video captured on Sunday, August 28, showing a bear in Collegedale resident Paul Bogard’s backyard. The video, taken by Bogard, according to the newscast, captures him and his family making noises to shoo the bear away and the animal eventually fleeing into the south end of White Oak Mountain, which is located on the west end of Southern Adventist University’s campus.
According to bearwise.org, September is the time of year when bears enter the hyperphagia stage, a period during which they feel the need to eat continuously. During this feeding frenzy stage, the chances of humans encountering a bear are greater, simply because this is when bears will prowl up to 20 hours a day in search of food.
“This time of year, [they] enter a stage where they need a lot of calories.” said Mime Barnes, a 30-year wildlife information specialist at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). “They know winter’s coming, a time of sparsity, so they’re simply looking for food most of the time.”
According to Barnes, when the bears search for food, they are drawn to high-human populated areas because of the easy meals they can find in backyards and driveways.
“Bird feeders, greasy grills, trash, unpicked vegetables from your garden and even crab apple trees can attract bears,” she said.This might explain why there have been multiple bear sightings in the Ooltewah-Collegedale area in recent weeks.
The newscast also said other reports of bear sightings were made to the Collegedale Police Department the day following the video. These sightings occurred on the Greenway near Spalding Drive and Tucker Road. NewsChannel9 said the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) responded to this incident and was able to deter the bear by firing rubber bullets at it.
“Black bears are not only loved by many but are one of Tennessee’s state treasures and are named a charismatic megafauna,” says the TWRA website. “The black bear species have increased since the conservation and management efforts from southeastern states affiliated with the Southern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA).”
Barnes mentioned keeping yards tidy as the number one way to keep attractants to a minimum. This means putting out trash the day of and not the night before, thoroughly cleaning grills and storing them in garages or outbuilding if possible. She also recommends bringing in bird feeders if a bear has been spotted in your area. Instead, residents can put out half a cup of bird food in the morning if they still want to help the birds but not attract bigger mammals.
The site also explains that good stewardship of the habitat humans share with bears is the joint responsibility of wildlife managers and the public.
For more resources on how to live responsibly with bears, contact your state wildlife agency or visit the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency website.
For additional information, residents can turn to bearwise.org, which is a state initiated and consistently updated website for the general public pertaining to proper information on bears and how to live with them.
“Keeping humans and wildlife safe rests solely on the shoulders of humans,” said Barnes. “We can really keep wildlife wild by following a few of these simple rules.”