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GSMNP tries to keep bears wild and visitors in line

The annual influx of visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains coincides with the active bear season, challenging the National Park Service to once again protect animals and people from each other.

Biologist Ryan Williamson manages bears for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During the spring and fall, that means he's also a part-time traffic director as "bear jams" clog the roads throughout the Smokies.

"People in and of themselves are the biggest problem. They kind of lose their mind when they observe wildlife," said Williamson as he worked to get stagnant traffic moving on Laurel Creek Rd. "The tough thing is keeping the bears at a safe distance from the people and also keeping traffic moving at the same time."

Traffic froze on Laurel Creek Road throughout Wednesday as people parked to see the bears without pulling completely off the road.

Credit: WBIR
Biologist Ryan Williamson tries to keep visitors a safe distance from bears as "bear jam" traffic clogs Laurel Creek Rd. in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

"You get people who are so excited, they'll block the road. I've seen people jump out of a car and roll into a ditch because it was not in park. They are excited and do some silly things," said Williamson.

Williamson knows a bear sighting is the highlight of a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains and wants people to enjoy seeing wildlife. He tells people not to stop in the road and to pull completely over if they want to see the bears.

Williamson uses a range-finder to ensure people and bears are a safe distance apart.

"We try to maintain a 50-yard distance. That's hard for a lot of people to visualize, but it's around the distance most people can throw a rock. But if you are doing anything that is affecting the bear's behavior, you are too close. Maintaining a 50-yard distance can be pretty difficult because bears have their own agenda and may come in your direction. I have to try to understand if the bear just wants to cross the road or if it is willingly approaching people," said Williamson.

Credit: WBIR
Signs in Cades Cove warn visitors to remain 50 yards away from wildlife.

There are three main types of bear behavior. Wild bears naturally fear humans and will flee. Habituated bears, like the ones in Cades Cove, are not scared and ignore people. Then there are food-conditioned bears that look for meals from people and campsites.

"A fed bear will eventually end up being a dead bear. Once that bear gets human food or garbage and trash, they learn where they got that food and they'll come back until it becomes a human safety issue," said Williamson.

The park euthanizes an average of 1 or 2 aggressive food-conditioned bears every year, but only as a last resort when relocation is not an option and other deterrents fail.

"This is a paintball gun and what we do is use this to move bears back from people. We use clear paintballs and it is basically just a nuisance for the animal," said Williamson.

Credit: WBIR
A large male black bear in a tree in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The national park faces criticism from the public when a bear is euthanized, but the Great Smoky Mountains is clearly a sanctuary for the iconic animals. Just outside the park's boundary, hundreds of bears are legally hunted and killed every year. Within the park, only one or two bears are euthanized annually in a space spanning 520,000 acres.

"The last thing we want to do is put a bear down. We need help from the public to keep bears wild. We do rely on the public to step forward and be the voice for the animal and say [to fellow visitors], 'You guys need to step back. You're really too close to that animal.' Do not disturb them. You wouldn't like it if someone came into your home and shoved a camera in your face at 10 feet away. So, give the bears the respect they deserve," said Williamson.

In extreme cases, the park has ticketed people who interfered with wildlife. Many people online have questioned why those who approach wildlife are not ticketed more frequently.

Credit: WBIR
Park Rangers handle all law enforcement in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Criminal charges are rare for several reasons. There are only so many rangers to watch the more than 10 million annual visitors in the Smokies. The park lacks cell service in many areas to quickly report violations. By the time a ranger is notified and responds to someone interfering with wildlife, the offenders are often gone without being caught in the act. This is especially true in areas such as Cades Cove where offenders are on a one-lane one-way loop without room to be pursued.

The park relies on volunteers to help with issues such as traffic jams in Cades Cove. These volunteers are the ones most likely to see someone violate the boundaries with wildlife. They primarily work to stop inappropriate behavior and get traffic moving, but have no authority to issue citations.

The park instead focuses on educating the public to prevent inappropriate interactions with wildlife.

"I want everyone in this park to experience the wildlife that we have. It is what makes this place so special," said Williamson. "We just want to do it in a way that the animals and the visitors are safe."

Credit: WBIR
Visitors park along Laurel Creek Rd. in the Great Smoky Mountains to photograph bears.

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