WEARS VALLEY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency spent days finding a bear cub that was seen in the Wears Valley area with its head stuck inside a plastic container.
They said the bear cub was first spotted on June 13 by the Covered Bridge Resort. The TWRA worked with Appalachian Bear Rescue to do surveillance and follow up on calls about possible sightings of the bear.
On Monday, they received a call that help them find the specific location of the bear cub — halfway up a tree. Janelle Musser, a TWRA Black Bear Support Biologist, went out to help it along with crews from ABR.
A local business brought them a ladder and Musser climbed it to put a catch pole around the container. With tension holding the container back, the bear cub was able to pull its head out.
ABR was later able to catch the bear cub and officials said they are helping it recover at their facility.
The TWRA urged people to secure their trash and recyclables. They said people could also crush plastic containers to prevent similar incidents in the future.