"I thought this is not real. Bears do not live in downtown Knoxville," said Leisl Grady, a UT student.
"But when they said they had caught it, it seemed a bit more believable," her friend Nathan Rowe followed up with.
Just after 11 p.m. Saturday night, police got the call that a black bear was spotted roaming through Ft. Sanders and eventually made its home in a tree on campus.
UT sent out email and text alerts that brought dozens of students out of their dorms to catch a glimpse.
"Some one came in sort of freaking out because they heard there was a bear on campus," said student Sidney Durant.
The bear also blew up social media. Students didn't miss the chance to have fun with it. Several students even created parody twitter accounts for the UT Bear.
"Almost everyone I know here had posted about it," Durant said.
It was folks outside the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says likely forced the estimated 300 pound bear up a tree near the Panhellenic building.
Police blocked off roads and corralled the students away for TWRA to get the bear out safely.
"I've never seen a crowd like that," said TWRA agent Clint Smith.
He said it's not uncommon to see a bear in the Knoxville area, but "what is uncommon is have one treed on campus."
But he wasn't surprised, he's been busy with bear sightings this summer.
"It's usually this time of year. From a little before Memorial Day until the end of June once the berries ripen in mountains, it's like it just quits. Like a switch," he said.
Smith believes this bear was dumpster diving and came from the Smokies to look for food.
The students say it was fun while it lasted but they're glad to know he's been returned to the forrest.
"Once in a life time kind of thing," said Rowe.
The TWRA says they are taking the bear to a release sight in the Cherokee National Forrest.
If you live near a bear sighting, they suggest emptying your bird feeders and feeding pets indoors.
UPDATE:
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials have captured a bear found on UT's campus and are working to relocate it to another area.
According to our crew on the scene, a TWRA official tranquilized the bear, before it fell from a tree in front of the Panhallenic Building.
TWRA officials then removed the bear from the area
PREVIOUS STORY:
Knox County Dispatch has confirmed there is a bear on UT's campus. UT has alerted its students.
As of 11:50 Saturday evening, a bear is up in a tree in front of the Panhellenic Building.
Seven police officers from KPD and UTPD are on the scene. A TWRA official is also on the scene.
According to our crew on the scene, more than 100 students are walking around campus and are looking for the bear. The police are trying to block people from the road.
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