Severely injured
Not only did Pedals get something stuck in its paw, but it was also very severely injured. One of its paws had been completely torn off, while the other was clearly hurting from another injury.
Given that attempting to walk on all fours would have inflicted immense pain, the bear had no choice but to adapt and remain upright on its hind legs. Despite being capable of harming the people in Oak Ridge, Pedals was so injured that it became doubtful to attack anyone out of self-defense. Consequently, rather than feeling scared of the animal, everyone started feeling sympathy for it.