Just passing through: Roaming black bear visits downtown parking garage, government building

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Like a curious tourist, a wandering black bear ambled around downtown's city-county government building early Monday, checking out a vast public parking garage and even encountering a graveyard shift deputy who shined a spotlight on it -- from a safe distance.

Video obtained by WBIR from the Public Building Authority recorded the bear's 4:45 a.m. walkabout. The City County Building sits atop a hill overlooking Fort Loudoun Lake between Walnut and Gay streets.

Video recordings show the critter -- more accustomed to East Tennessee's mountains and hills than the concrete jungle -- inspecting the open, lower-level parking garage under the huge building.

(One vehicle can be seen in the garage, but the bear didn't try to climb in, a skill many have learned from years of living near humans.)

PBA video also shows the bear on Hill Avenue across the street from the Knox County Sheriff's Office's sally port, where crime suspects are sometimes brought in for questioning.

No one took the bear into custody, but a Knox County deputy parked on the street spotted the visitor and shined a light on it. The bear didn't appear to care much for that, keeping its distance from the officer and heading up toward Main Street.

Eventually, the animal moved on toward Henley Street, checking out other parts of downtown.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency warns everyone who spots a wild animal such as a bear to keep their distance. Don't engage.

Authorities typically leave roaming bears alone unless they pose a direct threat.

While rare, it's not unprecedented for a black bear to show up in the heart of Knoxville. They appear from time to time in city parks. In spring 2020, one or maybe a couple appeared in various North Knoxville neighborhoods, nosing around for food.

To the surprise of passersby, a bear one afternoon about 20 years ago planted itself on an afternoon in a tree outside the old Baptist Hospital on Blount Avenue across the water from the City County Building.