[vetvetdoug]

I investigated a very large pseudorabies outbreak in a hog farm in Benton, Tn, back in 1977-78. The hogs were mishandled and thrown into a pit where the local wildlife fed upon them and infected the wildlife with the virus. Now the virus is endemic in the local wildlife. This bear was probably taken to the College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville, Tennessee. I also worked with the NPS in the GSNP 1977-1980 taking census of the wildlife and encountered the bears many times. I had a few close calls but never was threatened by one of them. We always strung our backpacks from a rope that was tied between two trees and never brought food into the tent. There were several times the bears came close. One more caveat, we were legally armed with .45 M1911's.

[HairOfTheDog]

I wondered too if rabies was plausible as an explanation.

This was a prolonged attack over some time period, with different acts of attack in different locations. Not typical at all of black bear behavior.