KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A 200-pound (90 kilogram) black bear showed up as a walk-on at the University of Tennessee’s baseball stadium, but ended up being sent back to its home territory.
Tennessee wildlife officials removed the wild creature that was found wandering around the Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Sunday.
A UT police officer notified the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency about the bear around 4 a.m., saying it had been wandering around campus and got stuck inside the stadium, according to a post on the agency’s official Facebook page. Sgt. Roy Smith and Wildlife Officer Jeff Roberson responded to the scene and were able to quickly tranquilize and remove the bear with the help of UT police.
The officers released the bear into the Foothills Wildlife Management Area in Blount County later that morning. A video of the release shows the still-groggy bear stumbling off of a trailer and wandering into the woods. A post accompanying the video identifies the animal as a female black bear.
Lindsey Nelson Stadium is the baseball stadium at the University of Tennessee’s flagship Knoxville campus.
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