BEAR DIES AFTER GETTING STUCK INSIDE CAR

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency a bear died Wednesday after wandering into a person’s car in Sevierville. As the bear was in the car, it got trapped and couldn’t get out, and died from the heat of being stuck inside the car. They said the car was parked at a rental cabin and the owner left it at around 10 a.m. They said the bear was found dead inside when they returned at around 6:45 p.m.

A wildlife officer says that it looks like the bear was able to get inside the car by using its paws or teeth to pull the handle to open the unlocked door of the car. The bear was then able to get inside the vehicle and the door latched closed behind it. TWRA says that the bear was likely killed by heat exposure inside the car. Temperatures in Sevierville were over 95 degrees on Wednesday and officers say that the inside of the car could have been over 140 degrees.

TWRA says that the bear was likely looking for food inside the car. Bears have been very active in the past month with two reported incidents where people were hurt.