Dan Hicks

Contributed photo Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Officer Shawn Edgmon killed a young male black bear on Skyline Drive in Dunlap, Tenn., on Thursday, according to Dan Hicks, TWRA spokesman. The bear, about a year old and weighing about 100 pounds, showed no fear of people and acted unusual for a wild animal when approached, making him a danger to the public, officials said.

DUNLAP, Tenn. — A black bear killed Thursday in Sequatchie County illustrates why people shouldn’t try to feed wild animals around their homes, wildlife officials said.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency spokesman Dan Hicks said a Dunlap resident on Skyline Drive reported the bear had been eating from his hand and ate about three boxes of cereal Thursday morning.

The bear was about a year old and weighed about 100 pounds, he said.

Mr. Hicks said TWRA officer Shawn Edgmon found the bear, describing him as “lethargic.”

A black bear wandering so close to residential areas is a public safety issue, and biologists believe the bear was sick because he was acting in a manner unusual for a wild animal, Mr. Hicks said.

When Mr. Edgmon approached the bear, it became aggressive, then docile, which is a warning sign, he said. The officer approached the bear again with shotgun in hand, it made a more aggressive move and the officer shot it, Mr. Hicks said.

On April 13, 2006, a large male black bear killed a 6-year-old Ohio girl and mauled her 2-year-old brother and their mother on Chilhowee Mountain in Polk County about 11⁄2 miles from the Chilhowee Recreation Area campground. Officials said that attack appeared to be “predatory” and that the 300- to-400-pound animal might have stalked his victims after their first encounter.

Mr. Hicks said young male bears usually start seeking their own territory when they reach the age when their mothers kick them out on their own. Young male bears on the move are more likely to encounter human populations, he said.

The bear killed in Sequatchie County is being tested for rabies at the University of Tennessee veterinary hospital in Knoxville, where it also will undergo a overall health analysis, Mr. Hicks said.

Wildlife resources agency Area 32 Assistant Supervisor Joey Wray said he suspects the bear might have been the same one spotted in several surrounding counties over the past year. He said danger lies in the seemingly friendly demeanor of a bear.

“Getting a bear accustomed to approaching people; you’re setting the animal up for a human-animal conflict,” he said.

That kind of bear views people as a source of food, Mr. Wray said.

“If he walks up to a person to see if he has food and he doesn’t, he might become food himself,” he said.

Such a bear “is a problem no matter where you put him,” Mr. Wray said.

“That’s why we strongly discourage people from feeding wild animals,” he said. “It puts the animal in jeopardy.”