The City of Gatlinburg teamed up with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and the Smokies BearWise Task Force for a BearWise open house on Tuesday, aiming to educate locals and visitors on responsible practices around bears. The event, located at the American Legion Building in Gatlinburg, included information on bear management and preventive measures to ensure both human and bear safety. According to WVLT, measures include installing bear-resistant dumpsters, posting signage, and reinforcing rules on human-bear interactions.
The urgency of the education campaign comes on the heels of three trail closures and a campsite in the Great Smoky Mountains, due to notable bear activity. WBIR reports a surge in physical contact incidents between people and bears this year in Gatlinburg, with six reports as opposed to two in the previous two years. "We are in bear country and we have a lot of bears," TWRA's Bear Program Leader Dan Gibbs acknowledged.
The city's proactive stance includes considering additional legislation to address those who feed or entice bears. "The city has ordinances that we can fine or cite folks for unsecured trash, or noncompliance with the animal-resistant container zone. TWRA has their proclamation, which they can cite people for feeding a bear," Gatlinburg's Seth Butler shared in an interview with WATE, adding, "there’s a push by the state legislature of possibly making that a statewide law."
These mounting efforts to mitigate human-bear interactions come at a cost for the animals, with a reported total of 16 bears euthanized in the Gatlinburg area this year due to dangerous encounters. However, as TWRA officers have stressed not all bears pose a risk, those that can be rehabilitated are taken to the Appalachian Bear Rescue, which currently cares for 25 bear cubs. As bears' natural food sources dwindle in early August. "They eat a lot. That's what bears are about, they are about eating," said Gibbs in a statement obtained by WBIR.
