The TN Wildlife guy on TV said these bears don't hibernate... very mild winter area. But available food would probably be at it's lowest right now.
I know the guy, Dan Hicks, that was interviewed for that story on TV (although I didn't see the TV interview).
I'm very close to where this happened, and work closely with wildlife officials here. I can't believe Dan said bears don't hibernate here. They do. I have photos of the GSMNP, UT and TWRA biologists removing bears from the dens during hibernation to relocate them to the Big South Fork during reintroduction efforts.
I suspect the bear attacked because it has just come out of hibernation recently,last fall's acorns are scarce now, and the berries they feed on aren't out yet, so this is a rough time for wildlife. Yes, bears do eat other animals, and Bob Miller, the wildlife biologist for the GSMNP told me recently some of the elk in the elk reintroduction effort fell prey to bears.
Two bears attacked/killed and partially ate a woman here in the Smokies a few years ago.
This past fall we had a record acorn crop, so the bears went into hibernation in good shape. This means bear reproduction here will be high also. Look for more encounters this summer.
I camp in the Cherokee National Forest a lot, and one campground I frequent had a nusiance bear coming around trashing the campground area a few years ago. Once a bear loses its fear of humans it is very dangerous.
There are a lot more encounters with bears than we realize, and many are not reported. I have a friend who is a fishing guide in the Smokies and he had a bear chase him once. They only thing that saved him was he dove into a deep pool of water in the stream and stayed under as long as he could. That bear was definitely going to harm him.
The bear hunters here, and the hounds they use, are a good thing. They keep the bears' fear of humans intact.