Baby Bear Great Smoky Mountains Iron on Transfer

Warning: Bears are wild animals that are dangerous and unpredictable. Practise not arroyo bears or allow them to approach you!

Willfully approaching inside 50 yards (150 feet), or any distance that disturbs or displaces a bear, is illegal in the park. Violation of this federal regulation can result in fines and arrest. Use binoculars, telephoto lens, or a spotting scope to view the animals.

Cheque the "Behave Closures" and "Bear Warnings" section of the Temporary Closures page before planning a hike in the park.

Attacks on humans are rare. If you are physically attacked by a black comport, fight dorsum aggressively with any available object--the comport may consider you equally prey! Exercise not "play dead." Aid protect others by reporting all bear incidents to a park ranger immediately. Continue your distance from bears.

Gary Carter Photograph

What Do I Do If I Run into A Bear?

Bears in the park are wild and their behavior can exist unpredictable. Although extremely rare, attacks on humans accept occurred, inflicting serious injuries and death. Treat bear encounters with extreme caution! Learn what to practice if you come across a bear by watching this short video.

If yous see a bear:

• Remain watchful.
• Do not arroyo it
• Practise not allow the behave to approach you.
• If the bear is at a distance, feeding or walking past, and notices you only continues its natural behavior, no action is needed on your part. Go along while continuing to discover the bear.
• If your presence causes the bear to change its behavior (stops feeding, changes its travel direction, watches you, etc.) you are besides close.
• Being too close may promote ambitious behavior from the bear such as running toward you, making loud noises, or swatting the ground. The acquit is enervating more space. Don't run, merely slowly back away, watching the bear. Increment the distance between yous and the bear. The conduct will probably exercise the same.

If a deport persistently follows or approaches you, without vocalizing, or hand swatting:

• Alter your management.
• If the acquit continues to follow you, stand your footing.
• If the bear gets closer, talk loudly or shout at it.
• Act aggressively to intimidate the bear.
• Human action together every bit a group if yous have companions. Brand yourselves look as large as possible (for case, motion to higher footing).
• Throw non-food objects such as rocks at the bear.
• Utilise a deterrent such every bit a stout stick.
• If you lot are carrying bear spray, brainstorm to discharge it when the bear comes within 20 yards of you. Lookout man this video on how to safely utilise bear spray.
• Don't run and don't turn away from the deport.
• Don't leave food for the bear; this encourages farther issues.
• Don't discharge a firearm; this can crusade a safety hazardfor other visitors.

If the acquit'south beliefs indicates that it is after your food and you lot are physically attacked:

• Carve up yourself from the food.
• Slowly back abroad.

If the conduct shows no interest in your nutrient and you are physically attacked, the behave may consider you lot equally prey:

• Fight back aggressively with any available object!
• Practice non play expressionless!

Blackness bears are dangerous and unpredictable wild animals. Do not approach bears or permit them to approach you.

Gary Carter Photo

Bears in the Smokies

Groovy Smoky Mountains National Park is i of the largest protected areas in the eastern U.s. where black bears can live in wild, natural surroundings.

Bears inhabit all elevations of the park. Though populations are variable, biologists approximate that roughly ane,500 bears live in the park. This equals a population density of approximately 2 bears per square mile. At one time, the black bear'southward range included almost of Due north America except the extreme west declension. However loss of habitat has resulted in a pregnant reduction in this range.

Black bears in the Smokies are black in color, but in other parts of the land they may exist brown or cinnamon. They may be vi feet in length and upwards to iii feet high at the shoulder. During the summer months, a typical adult male conduct weighs approximately 250 pounds while adult females are generally smaller and counterbalance slightly over 100 pounds. Nonetheless, bears may double their weight past the fall. Bears over 600 pounds have been documented in the park. Bears can live 12-xv years or more, however bears which have had admission to human foods and garbage have a life expectancy of only half that time.

Bears, similar humans, are omnivores. Constitute materials such equally berries and nuts make up approximately 85% of their nutrition. Insects and beast carrion provide valuable sources of protein for bears.

Bears have color vision and a great sense of smell. In add-on, they are good tree climbers, tin can swim very well, and tin can run thirty miles per hour.

Deport Beliefs

Bears are nigh active during early forenoon and late evening hours in jump and summer. Mating usually takes place in July. Both female and male bears may have more than ane mate during the summer.

Bears choose a denning site with the coming of common cold weather. Dens are commonly hollow stumps, tree cavities, or wherever there is shelter. Bears in the Smokies are unusual in that they often den high to a higher place the footing in standing hollow trees. Bears do not truly hide, but enter long periods of sleep. They may get out the den for curt periods if disturbed or during brief warming trends.

One to 4 cubs are born during the mother'southward wintertime slumber, usually in late January or early on Feb. Bears counterbalance eight ounces at nativity. Females with newly born cubs usually sally from their winter dens in late March or early April. Commonly born in pairs, the cubs volition remain with the female parent for about eighteen months or until she mates over again.

Use the interactive map below to learn more than near bears in the Smokies.

The park has replaced garbage cans with bear proof dumpsters to forestall bears from gaining access to garbage.

NPS Photograph

Garbage Kills Bears!

The conduct's peachy sense of smell leads it to insects, nuts and berries, but the animal is also enticed by the tantalizing smells of human food and garbage such as hot dogs, apple cores, chips, and watermelon rinds left on the ground in picnic areas, campgrounds, and forth trails. Feeding bears or allowing them access to man food and garbage causes a number of bug:

• Information technology changes the bear's behavior and causes them to lose their instinctive fearfulness of humans. Over time, these bears may brainstorm approaching people in search of food and may become more unpredictable and dangerous.
• Bears that obtain homo food and garbage damage property and injure people. These bears pose a adventure to public rubber. They can also teach other bears this dangerous behavior. Ofttimes, they must be euthanized.
• Studies accept shown that bears that lose their fear of people by obtaining human being nutrient and garbage never live as long as bears that feed on natural foods and are shy and afraid of people. Many are hitting by cars and get easy targets for poachers.

For these reasons, park rangers issue citations for littering, feeding bears, and for improper food storage. These citations can result in fines of upward to $five,000 and jail sentences lasting up to 6 months. Visitors are urged to view all wildlife at a safety distance and to never throw food or garbage on the ground or leave it unattended. Garbage Kills Bears!

Help keep the park's bears wild. Do not feed bears. Think, a fed bear is a dead comport!

Gary Carter Photograph

Behave Management

Bear management is really people management. How visitors behave while in the park has an impact on the safety of bears. If y'all are careless with your nutrient or litter, YOU may be responsible for a bear'due south death!

The park has done many things to make it easier for yous to protect bears. Bear proof dumpsters or trash cans can be found in all campgrounds and picnic areas. Delight use them to dispose of garbage.

During summer months, some of the busiest picnic areas shut at 8:00 PM so these areas can be thoroughly cleaned earlier dark and any food scraps or trash left past careless visitors can be removed. Park rangers patrol picnic areas and campgrounds to enforce evening closures, littering and food storage regulations. They as well strictly enforce regulations that prohibit approaching, harassing, agonizing or feeding bears.

An army of park volunteers patrol the park'south about popular trails, picnic areas, and campgrounds to educate visitors near protecting bears. They confiscate unattended nutrient or coolers and clean upwards food scraps left backside past careless visitors. These volunteers as well assist in managing people during roadside acquit jams.

In the backcountry, food storage cables take been installed to make it easier for backpackers to hang their food and garbage and then that bears cannot get to information technology. At some campsites, telephone poles were flown into remote backcountry areas considering the trees around the campsites were as well small to gear up upward an effective cable system!

The park's Resource Education staff provides information nigh bears at company centers, in the park's paper, and at evening programs. Educational signs about bears tin can be found on picnic tables throughout the park and bear safety videos are posted on this website.

Wild fauna managers actively monitor for behave activeness and use innovative and proactive techniques to keep bears shy, secretive, and afraid of people. This approach allows bears to remain in their domicile range, and discourages them from visiting developed areas or approaching people.

Results of these efforts are very encouraging. In some areas the number of bears that have to be trapped and moved away has decreased by x fold!

What Can You Do To Protect Bears?

• Dispose of all garbage or food scraps in conduct proof garbage containers or take information technology with yous.
• Do not feed wildlife. Feeding a deport guarantees its demise!
• Practise not approach inside 50 yards or whatsoever distance that disturbs a bear.
• Practice not allow bears to approach you (See "What Do I Practice If I Run across A Bear?" above).
• Utilize the nutrient storage cables to store your nutrient and garbage when camping in the backcountry.
• If yous see some other visitor breaking these rules, or encounter a carry in a picnic area or campground, on a trail, or in any other developed expanse, please call (865) 436-1230 or stop at a Visitor Eye to written report it.

Other Threats to Bears

Non-Native Species: The European wild hog is one of the most direct threats to the black deport. These pervasive intruders feed on the acorns and other foods that are mainstays of behave diets. Another non-native species, the gypsy moth, is expanding its range toward the park. This insect defoliates oak copse, weakening them and leaving them susceptible to other insects and diseases which may kill the trees. Not only could conduct'southward nutrient source of acorns be affected, just some of the prime denning spots in old growth trees may be lost.

Poaching: Unfortunately, the lure of high profits on international markets encourages the poaching of black bears. Several cultures believe that bear gall bladders, paws, and claws have medicinal powers or consider them gourmet delicacies.

Urban Encroachment: Community and individual developments well-nigh park boundaries are causing a loss in habitat for the bears. Poaching activities can be somewhat curtailed, and bear populations can eventually rebound from the losses. But once the critical habitats are destroyed, major declines in comport populations are inevitable. In addition, bears that venture outside park boundaries into neighboring communities may run across human food and go unpredictable, dangerous, and a threat to human rubber.

Additional Information

Wild fauna Watching in the Park
Every year park animals must be destroyed considering of mistakes humans make. Learn how to protect park wild fauna.

Learn More About Blackness Deport Inquiry in the Park
Scientists at the University of Tennessee discuss piece of work they conducted through 2009.

Appalachian Bear Rescue
This nonprofit organization is a rehabilitation, research, and education facility that cares for injured and orphaned bears.

pattersonmustent.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/black-bears.htm

Share this post