DeLa Bales sent black bear photos to James Spann after a sighting, and he posted them on Facebook.
James Spann Posted About a Black Bear Sighting in Decatur, Alabama
On July 23, 2025, James Spann posted the following about a black bear sighting on Harold Drive in Decatur in a Facebook post (see images below):
credit: DeLa Bales
Comments to the Facebook Post about the Black Bear in Decatur
There were interesting comments to the Facebook post about the black bear seen in Decatur, with some sharing about sightings also in Tennessee.
Betty Par wrote: "The close-up in the tree is so precious! I read somewhere that the growth of population in Tennessee is the reason for more frequent sitings in north Alabama...makes me feel sorry for the bears."
Nena Goodwin wrote: "What a beauty, that little bear!! harmless unless threatened. Or to protect their cub if they're too close, they usually just runoff black bears are not aggressive."
Tara Ann Redditt wrote: "We suddenly have them everywhere in west Tennessee suddenly. My husband said he saw one a year ago. They convinced him it was a cow but he always insisted it ran like a bear not a cow. Since he rode bulls. I guess he saw a bear. We now know of several. Lol"
Rita Mahaffey wrote: "How come all these bear sightings in the valley all of a sudden. Is some environmental organization trying to sneak in and establish a new habitat for them. We need them to go back where they came from."
Russ Williams wrote: "Is this the same bear that's been tracked from Arkansas, across North Mississippi, and spotted in a pear tree in Lawrence County a couple of days ago? MDWFP said yes to the bear in the pear tree. It can be identified by markings like a notch in the left ear."
Mickey V Brannan wrote: "There's got to be more than one bear... Considering there have been bear sightings in Limestone County, Lawrence County, Colbert County and Morgan County...I realize they can move around pretty quick but that's a lot of distance to cover in a very short time."
Sharon Durbin Horton wrote: "I feel bad for the bears because they are out of their normal habitat, run out by builders that just have to make more money."
Jeffrey Korner wrote: "Just remember folks bears are beautiful animals but are oh so dangerous especially to our children especially when startle them they will charge in their own fear. Bears close [to] homes with small children is a tragedy waiting to happen. Bears are so powerful and can and have killed humans."
Charlotte Hinkle wrote: "Thank you for sharing pictures. I will never walk to mail box or in back yard covered with trees and creek just down road without fear of seeing one. They are beautiful and amazing we have them so close."
Richard Paquette wrote: "What ever you do don't feed them. It's a death sentence for them and possibly you also. There [are] opportunists, they have a range of 200 miles. And there lazy they go where the food is. And [they] have [an] uncanny [sense] of smell."
Joanne Borden wrote: "He is just a baby! Y'all please don't hurt him or approach him and cause other people to hurt him or her."
Have you ever seen a black bear in Alabama?
credit: DeLa Bales
Video: Black Bear Sighted Swimming in Lake Guntersville
A black bear was sighted swimming in Lake Guntersville and can be seen in the video below posted on Facebook.
The description reads:
"While most Alabamians are wary of snakes and, in some areas, alligators in our waterways, it seems like it's time to add bears, like this one seen in Lake Guntersville, to that list."
video credit: A.J. McGee
Black Bear Seen in Pigeon Forge Tennessee Hot Tub
FOX 13 News reported on August 18, 2025, that a black bear was found in a Pigeon Forge, Tennessee hot tub at their rental.
"Felicia Shillingburg said she was in the hot tub of a rental in Pigeon Forge with her mother and a friend when a bear came around the corner and onto the wooden deck." -FOX13 News
Black bear in a Pigeon Forge, TN hot tub
Amy Roberts posted in the comments on Facebook: "Better take pics so you don't lose your damage deposit on the Air BNB!!! Owner never going to believe that story....no, really, it was a bear!"
Meteorologist Jason Simpson posted a video on Facebook of a black bear running around in Mentone, Alabama, seen from Highway 89 North on Monday. People commenting on the video recommend locking your cars with a bear in the area.
Black bear sighting in Mentone, AL (credit: Sarah Blalock)
Sarah Blalock said:
"Don't let the video deceive you. That bear was bigger than it looked. We were on 89 North in Mentone."
Video of Big Black Bear Sighting in Mentone, Alabama
Meteorologist Jason Simpson posted the video in his Facebook Reels, and the video can be seen below.
Video credit: Sarah Blalock
Would you like to see a black bear in Alabama?
Comments on the Facebook Reels Video of Black Bear in Mentone, AL
There were many interesting comments on Facebook after meteorologist Jason Simpson posted the video on Reels, which indicated that the black bear was sighted near vacation cabins.
Stephen V. Smith wrote: "These are our vacation cabins in Mentone ... we're gonna have to start charging this big boy a rental fee ..."
Sarah Hatfield Blalock replied to Stephen V. Smith, "My sister lives down the road, so we come by your cabins all the time. You obviously have the best garbage on that side of 89."
Then Denise Huff Willoughby also replied to Stephen V. Smith, "Can you please PM me your cabin rental page? We were just down there at the end of June & stayed off 89 on County Road 600."
Lisa Mullins wrote:
"The music has me laughing. Someone in Gatlinburg show a bear opening up a car door with no problem and getting in. Lock our car doors, maybe door alarms and make sure you look in your car good before you get in."
Melissa Walls Estes wrote (with grammatical errors):
"We are taking up all their space. Bless their precious hearts ppl need to start trying to live in houses that are already built or tear down old ones & use the same spot. or we are soon gonna be no wilderness left. so sad"
Susan Killian Besant wrote:
"We were staying at an Airbnb in Mentone a couple of weeks ago-sitting outside enjoying beautiful view- hubs went inside and I heard rustling behind me and I thought it was a dog. Nope mamma and baby cub just came walking across the yard."
Sheila Trotman wrote: "I saw one yesterday in Ider, AL."
Robert Keith wrote: "Who said you have to go to Cades Cove in the mountain to see a bear? They [are] right here in Alabama."
Pam German Cofer wrote: "Poor bears are running out of territory..."
Susan Driver wrote: "I'm not really crazy about bears."
A California man was arrested after a prank that went very wrong. He claimed to have left a "human skin teddy bear" outside of a convenience store on Sunday, July 13, 2025. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department was called to the scene to investigate the teddy bear.
California man arrested after claiming to leave a human skin teddy bear outside a convenience store
'Human Skin Teddy Bear' was a 'Macabre Prank' Outside Convenience Store
ABC7 News reported that a California man left a "human skin teddy bear" outside of an AMPM convenience store on Bear Valley Road in Victorville on Sunday, July 13, 2025. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department was called to the scene to investigate the strange teddy bear that was left on the ground outside the convenience store.
A zoomed-in image of the bear can be seen below.
Human skin teddy bear outside Victorville convenience store
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department: 'No Human Remains' Found on Teddy Bear
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department determined that there was not actually any "human remains" or "human skin" on the teddy bear. The claim was utterly false, and the police arrested 23-year-old Hector Corona Villanueva, and booked him for a report of an emergency while knowing that it was intentionally false and for planting evidence under the pretense that it was real.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department issued a statement about this incident, stating:
"Incidents such as this take up valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk, possibly delaying response time to legitimate calls for service. We would like to thank those that reported information that was helpful during the investigation of this case."
What was the 'Human Skin' Teddy Bear covered with?
The teddy bear was not made out of human skin. It was made out of latex.
ABC7 Eyewitness News spoke to Robert Kelly of Dark Seed Creations, an artist from South Carolina, who said that he made the teddy bear, and it was not made out of human skin, but out of latex. He confirmed that he did ship one of the bears he made out of latex to Victorville. He assumed it was just a routine order; however, he started to receive many calls when fans of his work started calling him on Sunday after recognizing one of his bears.
Kelly said:
"I guess I'd probably be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying it a little bit. You know, I'm an independent artist, so you know, I know what starving artist life feels like. So, a little attention is sometimes good regardless of not being able to condone whatever. I mean, I don't know if the guy broke any laws or it was just a prank, but it looks like he definitely got some people riled up." -Robert Kelly, Dark Seed Creations artist
His human skin teddy bear normally retails for $165 on his Etsy website.
As of the date of publication, the human skin teddy bear was sold out.
Another True Story about a Teddy Bear Containing Ashes
An Alabama woman was driving around and saw a teddy bear on a garbage pile. She stops and grabs it to bring it home to her dog as a chew toy. When she and her daughter get home, they discover the teddy bear has ashes inside of it along with a secret note.
James Spann Posted About a Black Bear Sighting in Leeds, Alabama
On June 22, 2025, James Spann posted the following about a black bear sighting in a Facebook post (see image below):
Black Bear Sighting in Leeds, Alabama
James SpannFacebook post about a black bear sighting read:
From William Richard "Good morning Mr. Spann. The black bear spotted on Dunnavant Valley road and 41 was again captured last night shortly after 10:00 p.m. entering Leeds city limits. I captured him on one of my trail cameras just southwest of the quarry along Dunnavant Rd (SR 25) near Elliot Lane. After speaking with the woman who took the photo and got the security footage of the bear she gave me the exact location which was near the Dunnavant volunteer fire department, so I knew which ridge he was traveling along and set up multiple cameras.
This is the Little Oak Ridge that eventually becomes Mills Ridge in Leeds (AL). It's part of the mountain ridge that runs parallel to 119. I may have cheated a little bit and baited him to draw him in with a case of black berries, apples, and raw fish, so don't mind the bait pile. This location is also just once in a list a few miles south of the Waffle House which is an infamous location for bear sightings in the past.
And as always, here is the photo (ssen above) from my trail camera app geo-tagged with exact GPS coordinates and the camera location on the map for authentication purposes to validate this is real. I noticed how many people questioned the validity of yesterday's photo. I believe this is the same bear from the video footage I sent you Thursday from Chelsea and Highway 51. I can't recall a black bear being this documented as it migrates northeast since I've lived here anyway. Pretty cool."
The Bear's Path Northward on a Map
The below map shows the black bear's path as it has been sighted moving northward in Alabama.
WHNT News 19 Chief Meteorologist Danielle Dozier posted photos and videos of a black bear roaming around Huntsville on Facebook in June 2025, and local residents are surprised that it really happened.
Black bear was seen in Huntsville, AL in June 2025
North Alabama residents got to experience nature over the weekend that is more typical of Gatlinburg, TN, or Asheville, NC, when a black bear was seen roaming around a neighborhood in June.
WHNT News 19 Chief Meteorologist Danielle Dozier's Post on Facebook
WHNT News 19 Chief Meteorologist Danielle Dozier posted on her social media page about a black bear spotted in Huntsville, AL, in mid-June 2025, and people are losing their minds in the comment section. The first photo posted above was taken over the weekend.
Her Facebook post read:
"BEAR IN HUNTSVILLE! The bear was seen roaming around the Marina Park neighborhood in Huntsville over the weekend! Photo from Dana Doner."
The second photo that Danielle Dozer posted (seen below) was taken on Monday, June 16, 2025, by Garrett Pinkerton.
Black bear spotted near the Redstone Arsenal in June 2025
On her Facebook page, she also has a video of the black bear roaming around Huntsville. AL.
Some Facebook Users Think That the Black Bear is a Baby Elephant
Facebook users sometimes say strange things, and this time was no different. Several users commenting on Danielle Dozier's original Facebook post think they are seeing a baby elephant.
*For context, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide's mascot is an elephant, so there may be a joke hidden in there.
Facebook user Quoc Ha posted in the comments, "Looked like a baby elephant at first. lol"
Facebook user Ashley Palguta added in the comments, "Quoc Ha, I thought it was an elephant. I thought it was some kind of AL joke."
Facebook user Paige Burnett Frost posted in the comments, "Why did I think that was an elephant 😂"
Facebook user Joni Charlton Colburn posted in the comments, "Quoc Ha, I had to zoom in. I saw an elephant too."
Facebook user Christa McDowell posted in the comments, "Quoc Ha, I thought that too 🐘"
Facebook user Nicole Burke McCowen posted in the comments, "Probably the same bear spotted by the train tracks on Hobbs Island yesterday."
Some Facebook users questioned if the bear was real or just AI, and WHNT News 19 Chief MeteorologistDanielle Dozier assured them in the comments that the black bear "was real after seeing the security video footage herself."
Safety Tips When Encountering a Black Bear in Huntsville, AL
It is important to remember that when you encounter a bear of any kind, to should keep calm.
If you have time, get all children and pets indoors quickly.
Never turn your back on a bear and run. This can trigger a predator instinct to chase.
While black bears tend to be more skittish than other types of bears, a mother bear will be more aggressive when protecting her bear cubs. Always stay clear of bears and keep your distance.
Never feed wildlife, including bears. It can cause them to get attached to humans, rather than fear them, and this will never end well for bears.
A woman from Lauderdale County was driving through Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with her daughter and happened to see a stuffed teddy bear in a garbage pile. She thought it might make a good chew toy for her dog, so she stopped to grab it from the trash. When she opens a secret pouch in the teddy bear, she finds ashes inside the bear along with a note.
An Alabama Woman and Daughter Find a Teddy Bear on a Garbage Pile
WHNT News 19 reported that Vicki Wise and her daughter were just driving through a random Muscle Shoals neighborhood when her daughter saw a teddy bear in someone's garbage pile. They decided to stop and grab it as a chew toy for their dog.
When they got home, Vicki inspected the teddy bear closer and saw the embroidered words "Forever in My Heart" on the bear's left foot. She then found a secret pouch inside the teddy bear, which "held a little heart-shaped box with a person's ashes inside."
On the front of the bear's foot are the words "Forever in My Heart" embroidered and "Barry Freed" on the back. A note attached to the back of the box read: "Barry Freed passed away on May 20, 2020."
Many people have wondered if Barry Freed was a humanbaby or even a pet. That is something that Vicki would sure like to know.
Vicki Wise speaking to WHNT News 19
No Information Found Online on Barry Freed
WHNT News 19 reported that Vicki Wise tried to do an internet search on the name Barry Freed, but she did not find any information about Barry Freed or the family.
She said:
"I don't know who he is. All I know is his name and the date he passed away," Wise said. "I don't know where he is from. I don't know anything about him, but I do know that he had to be loved, and I know that the person he belongs to is missing him." -Vicki Wise
If anyone has any information about Barry Freed, please contact WHNT News 19.
Do you think the ashes of Barry Freed were from a baby, a child, or an adult?
Source
Willmon, Addison. "Alabama woman finds trashed teddy bear with human ashes inside." WHNT News 19. Published: 4 January 2023. Updated: 5 January 2023.
*My original article was first published on Newsbreak on January 15, 2023, and received over 1,000,000 views.
I was on YouTube and came across a very entertaining animation called "Masha and the Bear" and the episode is called "Bon Appetit."
The actual animation is in Russian, but the animation is so entertaining, that you don't have to speak Russian to enjoy it. It has been viewed over 40 Million times on YouTube.
Masha and the Bear Make Chinese Dumplings
Here is a summary of the animation in English:
In this episode, the Brown Bear and the Panda Bear decide to make Chinese Dumplings.
The two bears start making the noodle for the outside of the dumplings. The Brown Bear chops the flour paste into the pouch balls. Then they grind the meat for the inside of the dumplings.
Meanwhile, Masha is outside in the Sunflower field with her butterfly net. All the butterflies are hiding, but an unsuspecting green caterpillar is crawling along on the dirt road. Masha spots the caterpillar is begins chasing it around the Sunflower field with the net. The chase brings Masha back to the cabin where the two Bears are busy making the Chinese Dumplings. Panda Bear is flattening out the noodle pouches when the green caterpillar hops from outside the window onto the table where Panda Bear is rolling out the noodles balls.
Masha jumps into the window with her net. Brown Bear is horrified as Masha runs across the cooking table, squashing all of the noodle balls as she runs. The green caterpillar hops from the table into Panda Bear's cooking hat. The caterpillar jumps off quickly, but Masha swings and captures Panda Bear's hat with a miss.
The green caterpillar crawls up the rolling pin, and Masha grabs him off of the rolling pin. Brown Bear pulls the butterfly net off of Panda Bear's head. Masha tries to convince Panda Bear to eat the green caterpillar. He declines, acting as if the caterpillar will make him sick. Brown Bear grabs a jar off of the shelf, and gives it to Masha, so she can put the green caterpillar in the jar. She does, and the caterpillar is mortified that he is in a jar with Masha watching him closely.
Panda Bear then begins to clean up the mess that Masha made. He looks at Masha with a scowl. She looks on innocently while holding her prize -- the caterpillar in the jar.
Masha sees the giant ball of flour paste and reaches for it. Brown Bear puts it behind his back. Panda bear hides a smaller ball behind his back. Masha then goes to wash her hands, because she wants to help make the Chinese Dumplings. Brown Bear and Panda Bear then pull out an apron and Chef's hat for Masha.
Masha is excited. The two bears then bow to Masha ceremoniously before they start again to make Chinese Dumplings. While Panda Bear is bowing, Masha reaches for his dumpling ball. Panda Bear then comes out of his prayful state and does a karate chop, dividing the ball into three balls with one chop. Masha is impressed. She grabs a flour paste ball and it transforms into a snowman. It reforms into flour paste and then shapes into a duck.
Panda Bear watches as he rolls the flour paste, and Brown Bear cuts the flour paste into balls. Masha seems to have rolled her flour paste into what appears to be sausage links. Brown Bear inspects, but does not approve. He then takes the knife and corrects the mistake by chopping them into balls. He then hands Masha a rolling pin.
She doesn't know what to do. Panda Bear shows her how to roll the flour paste balls into flat circles and sets them aside. Masha takes all five of her flour paste balls and rolls them all at once into one large flattened circle. Her rolling pin is now stuck in the flour paste. She pulls it free and she flies off of the table. The two bears shake their heads.
Masha pops back up. She is having fun. She pulls her flour paste up revealing a scary mask. Panda Bear is frightened. Brown Bear is not happy, while Panda Bear is hiding out of fear. Brown Bear gives her a rolling pin and another flour paste ball to try again.
Now Masha starts hammering small flour paste balls. The table is pounded so hard that it knocks the green caterpillar back down as he is trying to crawl out of the glass jar on the table. Panda Bear feels each shockwave from Masha pounding out flour paste balls.
Masha continues to pound out the small flour paste balls in succession and the other two bears watch on as she uses her rolling pin like a sledgehammer. The last flour paste ball is smashed and the ground meat is next in line. Brown Bear grabs Masha's rolling pin right before she smashes the ground meat.
Masha falls back into her chair. Panda Bear looks at her stack of balls now mashed into flat circles. Masha sticks out her tongue at him because she rolled hers and his. Panda Bear doesn't look happy. Brown Bear then distributes the rolled flour paste on the table. They each get a pair of chopsticks. Panda Bear shows how to get a ball of meat and wrap it with the flour paste. Brown Bear then does the same.
Now it's Masha's turn. She clumsily drops her chopsticks. She picks them up, one in each hand, and attempts to get a ball of meat. Meatballs start flying at Brown Bear's head. Meatballs start flying everywhere. One knocks the green caterpillar back in his jar. Panda Bear starts grabbing meatballs out of the air, and putting them on the flattened flour paste to correct the situation.
Brown Bear has had enough. He takes the chopsticks from Masha. She is surprised. He gives her a spoon. She takes a heaping spoonful of meat and loads it onto the flattened flour paste. So much meat is on her flour paste, that she tries to add more flour paste on top, but it still doesn't cover the meat. Masha think about what she did wrong, while Panda Bear literally spins out Chinese Dumplings with the twirl of his chopsticks.
Masha rolls her giant meatball on the table and it picks up flour paste as it rolls. Panda Bear's Chinese Dumplings come undone in the middle of the table. Masha's over-sized meatball comes back to her, covered in flour paste, and she claims a victory.
Brown Bear doesn't approve. He pounds a fist on the table, and Chinese Dumplings wrap themselves mid-air. He then distributes more flattened flour paste to Masha to try again. He then spoons the flour paste out to her flattened flour paste and she folds them over with her hands. Panda Bear then asks for meat for his dumplings and he closes them up with ease.
Masha begs for more meat. Brown Bear fills another row with meat for her. She closes them faster as she gets the hand of it. Panda Bear moves fast doing the same in a competition to get them done. Masha and Panda Bear meet at the last one. They playfully fight until Masha pulls his hat down and closes the last dumpling.
Brown Bear puts a pot on for the dumplings, while Masha discovers that the green caterpillar has escaped the glass jar. She looks in a cupboard to find a white rabbit chewing on carrots. She walks off and the rabbit re-closes the curtain. Brown Bear opens the refrigerator only to find a wolf eating the sausage links. Brown Bear closes the fridge. Masha is looking for the caterpillar by shaking boots. Brown Bear finds a porcupine under the pillow of his bed, while Masha looks under the bed. Nothing there, either.
Meanwhile, Panda Bear is left to cook the Chinese Dumplings. He is using a large cooking shovel to scoop the dumplings from the table to the pot of boiling water. Masha continues to look in pots and pans. She only finds a squirrel and continues looking. She comes up on the boiling hot pot of Chinese Dumplings. She almost falls forward but doesn't. Brown Bear is looking around with a magnifying glass for the green caterpillar.
Masha making a noise to "Shhhhhh!" and points to the boiling hot pot. Brown Bear opens it and hundreds of butterflies fly out, leaving only the dumplings to finish cooking. Masha is excited and chases after them with her butterfly net outside.
The two bears then enjoy the fruit of their labor, each having a bowl of Chinese Dumplings. Panda Bear eats his with chopsticks, while Brown Bear inhales them off of a wooden spoon. Brown Bear gives a thumbs up of approval, and Panda Bear nods his head in satisfaction.
Masha chases a flock of butterflies around outside while the two bears watch from the doorway, while eating Chinese Dumplings. Everyone is happy. The End.
Masha and the Bear; Butterflies coming out of the Chinese Dumpling pot
