NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Lots of people are moving to Middle Tennessee. Turns out, they are not alone — black bears are moving here, too. News 2 talked with wildlife officials about what’s bringing these amazing animals back to Middle Tennessee.
When you think of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, black bears certainly come to mind. Slowly over the years, those bears are making their way here to Middle Tennessee.
“Our bear population is doing quite well,” said Dan Gibbs, the black bear program coordinator at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
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Gibbs explained that Middle Tennessee was historically home to many black bears, but settlers hunted them, relegating these large creatures to the eastern part of the state, until now.
“The pleasure of seeing a bear in areas where they haven’t been seen in over 100 years,” said Gibbs. “We refer to it as recolonization. They are just reclaiming habitat that they formerly had.”