Three-legged bear spotted in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - In East Tennessee, a bear sighting isn’t the most unusual of things. Just days ago, a three legged bear was spotted in South Knoxville catching people by surprise.

For Jody Williams at Help Asheville Bears, it’s unfortunately not the first time they’ve seen something like this. Williams said 36 three-legged bears have been spotted since 2019.

While it’s a tough sight to behold, Williams describes the reality of what many of those bears likely went through.

“It’s typically a snare trap which is a trap that only tightens it never loosens it only get’s tighter. Cutting off the circulation and the bear in either scenario is going to gnaw off the rest of it’s limb,” said Williams.

Williams adds that missing a limb makes it tougher to care for their children and climb trees.

According to Tennessee Trapping Regulations, it’s also illegal to use a bear trap.

Williams believes that these hunters are trapping bears to sell parts like their paw on the black market.

Hunting black bears is legal in Tennessee, but you should check when the season opens and which reason allows what type of hunting. You can find that information here.