BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — Appalachian Bear Rescue is asking for donations after the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency euthanized a second mother bear on Tuesday, making it the second time in a week that a mother has been euthanized and three cubs have been taken in, for a total of six cubs taken in due to a mother being euthanized.
"Though we didn't receive any rain, it didn't stop pouring yesterday," ABR said.
The rescue group said TWRA received calls over the past few weeks about a mother bear and three cubs in a Blount County neighborhood with both permanent and rental residences.
ABR said the bears were repeatedly getting into broken bear-resistant trash bins, opening and entering unlocked vehicles and visiting porches and decks when people were on them.
"This past weekend, both TWRA and ABR received multiple calls from someone vacationing in a home in this neighborhood," ABR said. "The bears repeatedly opened and entered unlocked vehicles, wrecked a grill on a deck, and came much too close to people."
ABR said that locking vehicles is absolutely mandatory when living in or visiting areas with bears.
When TWRA officers and biologists were at the location of the complaints, the bear family once again returned. The group attempted to use "hazing" techniques on the bears to get them to move along, but nothing seemed to work.
"In fact, the mother bear would come within inches of people in search of human food," ABR said. "It was clear that this bear had been hand-fed. There was no option other than to euthanize the female bear and safely trap her cubs for transport to ABR."
The nonprofit welcomed the three cubs — Velma, Daphne and Scooby — into its care on Aug. 6.
ABR said there is no place remote enough in Tennessee to safely relocate bears who have no fear of humans.
"It makes us and our wildlife agency partners sick and frustrated," ABR said.
ABR also said that although the Great Smoky Mountains National Park does have hundreds of thousands of acres, many of those acres are filled with backcountry campsites and hiking trails that visitors enjoy every day.
"Remember, our Park is the most visited National Park in the United States," ABR said. "Also, most of those acres are not accessible by vehicle. Even if there was a spot far, far away, you can't hike to that spot with a large bear and her three cubs."
ABR made a plea to those in the community, and it can be read below.
"For all of us who live in these beautiful mountains, all who visit, all who's businesses benefit from our natural resources, and all who lead our communities, it's time to look deep inside ourselves and ask WHY? Are we so selfish that we no longer care? Is our desire to see a bear up close so strong that it makes us willing to kill the very animal that we want to see? Can we not be bothered to secure our trash and to lock our vehicles? Can we not find and implement better community solutions for trash and pass and enforce laws that prohibit the intentional and unintentional feeding of bears and other wildlife?"
Less than a week before, Appalachian Bear Rescue welcomed their 411th, 412th and 413th bear nicknamed Bubbles, Mojo and Fuzzy. According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, officers trapped the mother bear who broke into a homeowner's garage and began eating food from a refrigerator.
Below, you can find tips on how to properly protect yourself and bears when in bear country.
Six essential tips
BearWise provided six essential tips to keep safe with "Six At-Home BearWise Basics."
The first step is to never feed or approach bears.
"Intentionally feeding bears or allowing them to find anything that smells or tastes like food teaches bears to approach homes and people looking for more," BearWise said.
Other steps are to secure any garbage or recycling, remove bird feeders when bears are active and to never leave pet food outdoors.
"If you must feed pets outside, feed in single portions and remove bowls afterward," the organization said.
The final two of the six essential tips is to clean and store any grills or smokers and to alert any neighbors about bear activity seen in the area.
What to do if you see a bear
The biggest step stressed by both GSMNP and BearWise is for visitors to keep their distance.
- Do not allow the bear to approach you.
- If the bear is at a distance, feeding, or walking by and notices you but continues its natural behavior, no action is needed on your part. Proceed while continuing to observe the bear.
- If your presence causes the bear to change its behavior (stops feeding, changes its travel direction, watches you, etc.) you are too close.
Being too close to a bear may cause it to become aggressive, so keeping distance is key when it comes to watching the wildlife.
What to do if a bear sees you
The park provides many steps on what to do when being approached by a black bear.
- If the bear continues to follow you, stand your ground.
- If the bear gets closer, talk loudly or shout at it.
- Act aggressively to intimidate the bear.
- Act together as a group if you have companions. Make yourselves look as large as possible (for example, move to higher ground).
- Throw non-food objects such as rocks at the bear.
- Use a deterrent such as a stout stick.
The park also said to use bear spray if any is available, not to leave food for the bear and not to turn or run away.
If the bear has no interest in food and is becoming hostile, the park said to fight back aggressively and not play dead.
How to protect the bears
Something just as vital as keeping the visitors in the park safe, is keeping the bears safe as well. The most important step to keeping bears safe is throwing away trash.
"It changes the bear's behavior and causes them to lose their instinctive fear of humans. Over time, these bears may begin approaching people in search of food and may become more unpredictable and dangerous," the park said.
Park rangers will issue citations for littering, feeding bears and the improper storage of food within the park.
"These citations can result in fines of up to $5,000 and jail sentences lasting up to six months," the park said. "Visitors are urged to view all wildlife at a safe distance and to never throw food or garbage on the ground or leave it unattended. Garbage Kills Bears!"
Do not feed the bears under any circumstances, and do not approach a bear within 50 yards or any distance that could disturb the animal, the park said.
"If you see another visitor breaking these rules or encounter a bear in a picnic area, in a campground, on a trail, or in any other developed area, please call (865) 436-1230 or stop at a visitor center to report it," the national park said.