Black bear DIES in Tennessee after getting trapped inside ‘140F’ car for up to nine hours after ‘climbing inside unlocked vehicle in search of food, as sweltering heat dome bakes US
- The bear, officials said, climbed inside the unlocked vehicle in Tennessee, Wednesday in search of food, but became trapped after the door shut behind it
- Photos show the lifeless animal slumped inside the car, which had been parked outside a rental cabin in Sevierville – on a day where temperatures exceeded 95F
- The car’s owner left the cabin in a different vehicle around 10 am, officials said
- Returning at 6:45 pm, the citizen came across the bear dead and called officials
- The discovery comes as a dome of extreme continues to move across the US, creating dangerous climate conditions for much of the country the past 2 weeks
A black bear died after getting trapped inside a 104f car while looking for food, as a stifling heat dome continues to cook much of the southern United States.
Temperatures in the vehicle, which was parked and unlocked outside a rental cabin in rural Tennessee, reportedly exceeded 140F.
The bear, officials said, climbed inside the unlocked green jeep Wednesday in search of food, but became trapped after accidentally shutting the door behind itself.
Photos released by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency show the lifeless animal slumped inside the car, which had been parked outside a rental cabin in Sevierville, a city in the eastern part of the state – on a day where temperatures surpassed 95F.
The car’s owner left the cabin in a different vehicle around 10 am, officials said, returning at 6:45 pm to find the bear dead inside.
He promptly reported the discovery to officials.
A black bear died after getting trapped inside a hot car in Tennessee Wednesday, officials said – as a stifling heat dome continues to cook much of the southern United States
Photos released by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency show the lifeless animal slumped inside the car, which had been parked outside a rental cabin in Sevierville – on a day where temperatures surpassed 95F
Officials said the animal had been attracted to food that had been left behind in the parked car by the unidentified cabin dweller, and that the bear got inside the vehicle using its teeth or paws.
The door then shut behind the animal, trapping it inside, officials said – adding that temperatures likely climbed to more than 140 degrees, spurred by a recent heat wave that has effected much of the US South and Midwest.
‘Here is a good example of how #garbagekillsbears,’ Tennessee Wildlife workers wrote in a news release Thursday detailing the incident.
‘It appears that the bear got inside the car by using its teeth or paws to open the unlocked door and was trapped inside after the door shut behind it,’ they wrote.
‘We believe that heat likely killed the bear as outside temperatures exceeded 95 degrees yesterday,’ adding ‘the vehicle’s interior possibly reached over 140 degrees.’
They added that the bear was likely lured into the car by the smell of food, citing food wrappers seen in photos shared by the agency along with the news release.
‘Notice the empty soda can and food package on the floorboard,’ officials wrote, sharing a photo showing an empty bag of chips and soda can on the floor of the car’s back seat – just below the bear’s slumped head.
‘Bears have noses 7 times better than a bloodhound,’ officials wrote, adding that the animals ‘can smell even the faintest odor of food inside a vehicle.’
The bear, officials said, climbed inside the unlocked vehicle in search of food, but became trapped after accidentally shutting the door behind itself
They added that even empty food containers, as well as candy wrappers, fast food bags, and air fresheners, can attract the omnivorous animals, and warned citizens to refrain from leaving such items in areas where the critters are known to reside.
‘Please be #BearWise and help us keep bears wild and alive,’ the statement said.
The discovery comes as a dome of extreme continues to move across the US, creating dangerous climate conditions for much of the country the past two weeks.
The grim discovery comes as a dome of extreme continues to move across the southern and midwestern US, creating dangerous, unprecedented climate conditions for the past two weeks
Americans in states Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, felt the brunt of the heat wave Thursday, with several cities in those states seeing temperatures climb well into the triple digits.
In the Southeast, an intense pulse of heat spurred by the heat dome – a weather phenomenon in which an area experiences stifling heat when a system of high pressure pushes warm air downward and keeps it trapped as if in a bubble – hit parts of Georgia and the Florida panhandle, causing absurdly high temperatures.
In the Southeast, an intense pulse of heat spurred by the heat dome – a weather phenomenon in which an area experiences stifling heat when a system of high pressure pushes warm air downward and keeps it trapped – hit parts of Georgia and the Florida, causing extreme heat
Georgia saw highs of 105 degrees in cities like Macon – while the Sunshine State lived up to its name with heat index values topping 110.
The 105 in Macon – seen on Wednesday, the day the bear was discovered – was its highest temperature ever observed so early in the year.
That day saw temperatures swell as high as 106 degrees in nine states in the US Southeast, including The Volunteer State – with Nashville recording blistering temps of 101F and Memphis recording an even more pronounced 102F, both record highs.
Other cities to see unprecedented temperatures for this time of year include Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with 101F; Charlotte, North Carolina, also 101F; nearby Raleigh, with 100F; and New Orleans, with 96F.
Forecasts indicate that the most dangerous part of the heat wave is over – but heat alerts still remain for over 40 million people in cities ranging from Texas to Florida, including Dallas, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, and Jacksonville.
Forecasts indicate that the most dangerous part of the heat wave is over – but heat alerts still remain for over 40 million people in cities ranging from Texas to Florida, including Dallas, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, and Jacksonville
With that said, a renewed surge of exceptional heat is expected to pummel the Great Plains and Mississippi valley into the weekend – adding to the record-setting temperatures seen earlier in the week.
In some areas, heat and humidity will combine to yield heat indexes that surpass 110F, creating conditions that put citizens at risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke – especially those exerting themselves outdoors.
Dallas is expected to match its record high of 102F, matching a mark set more than 40 years ago, in 1980.
Elsewhere in the Lone Star State, Houston will too likely meet a previous high – hit this time in 2009 – of 101F.
To the east in Alabama, Mobile will is forecast to hit it record high of 101F, also last seen in 2009.
A renewed surge of exceptional heat is expected to pummel the Great Plains and Mississippi valley into the weekend – adding to the record-setting temperatures seen earlier in the week
Macon, meanwhile, is expected to surpass its all-time high of 101, set in 1988, with a forecast of 102 degrees.
Roughly 100 miles south, Albany is forecast to hit a sweltering 105 degrees – shattering a nearly 80-year-old record set in 1994, of 104F.
Further south, in Florida’s Panhandle – the northernmost portion of the state that is expected to be slammed by the east-moving dome this weekend – temperatures in Tallahassee are forecast to hit 104F, one-upping the 103 set in 1944.
The city may even see its all-time temperature record of 105 shattered, experts say.
By Saturday, the heat dome will shift west, bringing readings ranging from 100 to 104 degrees to most of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and away from western Alabama, western Tennessee, and southeastern Missouri.
Some meteorologists say the heat dome may ease or even dissipate by early next week – however, the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center warns that the dome may remain, resulting in more above-average temperatures in the weeks to come.
By Saturday, the dome will shift west, bringing readings ranging from 100 to 104 degrees to most of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and away from western Alabama, western Tennessee, and southeastern Missouri
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