Three 5-month-old cubs from the Erwin community in Unicoi County and one from Sevierville are the latest temporary residents to arrive at Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend.
All four arrived on Monday, making for an extremely busy and hectic day for ABR and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The solo cub from Sevierville had been roaming alone for at least a week, neighborhood residents reported. It was seen at the top of a resident’s cherry tree, eating the fruit. No mother bear was ever spotted. A trap was set and the cub was captured on Monday afternoon and taken to ABR.
Erwin Homeowners Dennis and Tammy Hensley got a notification on their backyard camera of some type of movement on Friday night and saw a mother bear and her three cubs. Something was definitely wrong with the sow, Tammy said.
“She was dragging her hind legs,” the Erwin resident said. “I ran in and showed the video to my husband and he said we needed to call someone. He said she’s been hit by a car or something.”
That’s when Tammy contacted ABR. Dana Dodd, ABR’s executive director, then called Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. After seeing the video of the momma bear struggling to walk, they decided to set a trap for her.
Tammy said the trap was set on her property on Saturday evening, and by early afternoon on Sunday, the mother bear was caught in the trap. The Hensleys own about 4 acres and have lived there for 12 years.
“The babies ran away,” Tammy said, but they later came back, about 10 p.m. on Sunday. TWRA officers, including Sgt. David Carpenter, had set extra traps to capture them; one by one they entered the traps. The last one was caught on Monday morning.
Dodd commended TWRA for its fast action. It can take a while to capture a bear, she said. But all four members of this bear family were rounded up in less than 36 hours.
TWRA had to euthanize the momma bear due to the severity of her injuries. Her three cubs were taken to University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine to be checked out. Dodd said they appeared in good shape and were very feisty, as they should be. Following their examinations, the siblings were then taken to ABR for 24-hour care.
Tammy said she’s seen plenty of bears on her property but watches them from a distance. She believes this momma and her three cubs were videoed on her outdoor camera back in May and again just days ago. They were fine at that time, she said.
These four cubs of the year bring the total to 14 that are being cared for at ABR currently. Duke and Daisy Mae arrived on March 20. Jelly Bean came on March 22, with Peeps, on March 27. Shadow and Casper arrived on April 6. They were followed by Tots on April 18, SuBearu on May 16, Puff on May 29 and Jackie Paper on May 30. All of them are doing well.
ABR takes in injured or orphaned black bear cubs from Blount County and beyond, including other states. They are treated for any injuries and then cared for at this facility that has both indoor and outdoor enclosures. The bears are released back into the wild once healthy enough to survive on their own.
Many of the current cub residents were left motherless after theirs were struck by cars. A necropsy is being performed on this latest momma bear to determine how she became injured.
“She could have been hit by a car, shot or fell from a tree,” Dodd said.
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