500 pound black bear captured in Greeneville and relocated

The Greeneville Fire Department and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency were busy capturing and relocating a 500 pound fugitive.
A black bear weighing 500 pounds was removed from a residential area to a safe location in the Cherokee National Forest. Greene County Wildlife Officer David Carpenter said that a large bear had become accustomed to exploring an area near Tusculum University in Greeneville due to the access that it had to food in the area. They believe that the bear has likely been in the area for several years but had just recently ramped up its activity, damaging property. After an attempted capture in 2021, the bear seemed to change its routine. After recent activity indicated that the bear was back, Wildlife officers Ryan Rosier, Austin Wilson and Carpenter located the bear in a vacant lot and subdued it with a tranquilizer. After capturing the bear, the wildlife officers enlisted the help of the GFD to help place the 500 pound animal in a transport cage for a trip to it’s new home.