TWRA, bear rescue crews work to keep bears out of trash in Sevierville

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. ( WATE ) — The Appalachian Bear Rescue and Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency are working together to install trash can straps and keep bears out of trash in a Sevierville subdivision.

Earlier this week, ABR staff and a few operations managers from Amazon partnered to help distribute door hangers with information about the project throughout the neighborhood. The door hangers instructed anyone who wanted the hardware added to their trashcans to put their cans on the curbside on with a permission slip.

Then, on Wednesday, the ABR and TWRA teams worked together to install the retrofit trash can strap kits that ABR volunteers assembled last year. The kits include four straps that can be attached to flip-top trash cans, and while they may not keep every bear out of trash every time, ABR said the straps are a “terrific deterrent and work most of the time.”

The kits appear to include buckled straps which are secured on the trash can lid and the body of the trash can, making the cans accessible to humans who have thumbs while remaining difficult to open for bears.

By the end of Wednesday, the team had installed the strap kits on more than 50 trash cans in the neighborhood. ABR said the team was back out on Thursday working on more cans.

In 2022, the TWRA reported an increase in bear incidents. As bear sightings are becoming more common in more populated areas, the TWRA says to secure garbage, birdseed and pet food, as well as to make sure cars, campers and home doors are locked.

According to the TWRA, bears easily become habituated to human food and lose their natural fear to humans, resulting in them becoming a threat to human safety.

“We sometimes refer to unsecured human trash and birdseed as “gateway drugs” for bears. It may not seem like a big deal if a bear gets your birdseed or trash. Maybe you even take action and secure your trash and remove your bird feeders. But the bear has already learned a lesson. There’s FOOD in those cans and feeders. And now, the bear has been brave enough to get that food reward,” ABR wrote.

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