Bear euthanized after injuring employee at Tennessee park concession stand

Tennessee wildlife officials euthanized a bear matching the description of a bear that wandered into a concession stand and helped itself to food before charging at an employee, authorities said.

The bear was filmed inside the concession stand — aptly named Bear Can — Thursday evening at Anakeesta, an outdoor adventure park in east Tennessee, officials said in a news release from press. The bear stood on its hind legs for a few seconds while looking at customers and eating food, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The bear appeared to be about to exit the stand when it encountered an employee, which startled them both and resulted in “brief physical contact” with a park employee, the agency said. The worker suffered minor and superficial injuries to her arm and back.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency later captured several bears. One bear “matching the description of the bear involved in the concession stand incident” was euthanized after being captured, the agency said. Two others — a female with four cubs and a larger male bear — were captured and released.

“TWRA does not like having to euthanize wildlife, especially bears, and we do not do it indiscriminately,” said Dan Gibbs, state 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 relocation because it had entered a stand in the presence of people and had made physical contact with a worker.

Wildlife agency and park officials met Monday to discuss issues with temporary waste storage and access to food inside the park. After the bear incident, Anakeesta purchased a temporary electric fence and electrified “junk mats” to use when the park is closed to visitors, state officials said. The park also ordered steel cages to secure concession stand doors.

There is a significant population of black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which surrounds Anakeesta on three sides. “Bears play an important role in the magic of the Great Smoky Mountains,” said Austin Martin, Anakeesta communications manager. “The Anakeesta team works diligently to create a safe space to coexist with native wildlife.”

Tennessee is home to approximately 5,000 to 6,000 bears.