Bears Spotted In Middle Tennessee

LIVINGSTON, TN -- Black bears, largely extirpated from Middle Tennessee for decades, have been spotted in recent days along the Cumberland Plateau.

Two people - a mother and daughter - in Livingston saw a bear crossing Highway 111 in the Overton County city about 100 miles east-northeast of Nashville. A bear has also been seen in Cookeville, 80 miles east of the state capital, according to the city's mayor.

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Hannah Stringer posted photos and video of the Livingston bear on Facebook:

Black bears rarely attack humans unless threatened, but the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said the best thing to do when near a bear is to give it room to move along and never feed it. Bears who are fed will start to rely on humans for sustenance and thus become less fearful of them and more likely to be nearby.

Bear sightings in Middle Tennessee are extremely rare as they tend to be confined to the Smokies and Ozarks.

Photo via National Parks Service