Black bear reported in Clinton on Friday

The surrounding bear habitat includes the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the south, which is the largest black bear preserve in the world; the Cherokee National Forest to the east, a good, large bear habitat; and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area to the north.

In 2013, the TWRA said there are a few bears that live year-round in the northwest part of Anderson County around New River and Devonia, and sometimes those bears find their way down the mountain.

At the time, TWRA Sergeant Roy Smith of Morristown said the bears seen in populated areas are often young male bears between 1.5 to 2 years old that have been weaned from their mothers and weigh about 150 pounds. There is a period during the summer when there is not a lot of natural food available, and the juvenile male bears are pushed out of good habitats by adult males. The yearlings set out to find their own territory and are often seen in local cities in July and August.

“Bears don’t want to be in these areas just as we don’t want them here,” Smith said.

In the 10 years he had been working here, Smith said in 2013, he wasn’t aware of any human-bear interactions that became dangerous. Bears are naturally timid and skittish creatures and generally afraid of people.

Still, wildlife officials recommend that people stay away from the bears.

“Give them a wide berth,” TWRA Wildlife Officer Jason Lankford said then.

To encourage the bears to continue moving, the TWRA recommends residents put away their trash and try to eliminate other outdoor food sources. Lankford said bears love to eat cat and dog food, bird seed, and whatever they can find in grease traps.

The TWRA said it generally lets the bears move out on their own as long as they keep moving.

“Generally speaking, if those bears are left alone, those bears will move through,” Smith said.

The TWRA occasionally moves the animals if they find a consistent food source and aren’t moving. In that case, they can become habituated to people.

“If they‘re causing problems or they’re staying in the area, not moving, we generally remove them,” Smith said.

The TWRA said people who see bears can call the agency because wildlife workers want to know if the bears, which can cover 20-30 miles per day, are continuing to move.