A couple of wild animals in unusual situations required the assistance of well trained Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) officers recently as a deer and a bear found themselves in some odd predicaments.
Around 9:15 a.m. one recent morning, TWRA wildlife officers received a call about a bear on the Eastman Chemical Company property in Kingsport. Upon arrival, they located a 150-pound sow black bear lying underneath a railcar, well within the chemical plant property. Eastman officials assisted in the process by shutting down the railroad system to allow access to the officers and to create safe conditions for the officers and the bear. The wildlife officers utilized a CO2 powered rifle and jab stick to administer tranquilizing drugs. Once she was safely immobilized, wildlife officers attached an ear tag and recovered her into a trap. The bear was released into the Cherokee National Forest near Erwin.
Many black bears in East Tennessee did not go into their winter dens as they normally do, according to TWRA. A combination of a lack of hard mast this fall and very mild temperatures well into December probably resulted in bears remaining on the ground in search of food. While it is not clear why she was well inside the confines of Eastman Chemical, she was probably wandering in search of an available source and got lost in the maze of the plant.
In another unique situation, TWRA wildlife officers and a wildlife biologist tracked down a doe deer another morning that had been spotted for several months with a large, plastic bucket stuck around its neck. TWRA received the first reports sometime in early December and learned from residents in the Choto area of Knox County that the bucket had been stuck on the deer’s neck for several weeks. TWRA officers made several visits to the area but were unsuccessful in immobilizing the deer.
The bucket, which appeared to be a type of chicken feeder with the base removed, likely became stuck as the deer attempted to feed on grain inside. The handle was around the back of the deer’s head, which prevented it from being removed without some assistance. The crew safely immobilized the deer with tranquilizing drugs and removed the bucket. After administering a reversal agent, the deer was up and returned into the woods unharmed.
