GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency and Anakeesta Mountaintop Adventure Park are working together to improve park safety and make it less attractive to bears.
On Thursday, a social media video showed a bear making physical contact with one of Anakeesta's workers.
The video showed a black bear nearing a concession stand in the eastern part of the park. According to a release from the park, the bear entered the employee entrance of the stand, "Bear Can." The bear was then leaving through the employee entrance when it encountered a worker entering the concession stand, startling both the employee and the animal.
At that point, the bear and the employee made brief physical contact. The employee in the video was not seriously injured and opted not to receive medical attention, Anakeesta said.
Following the incident, TWRA began trapping and has caught several bears including a female with four cubs, as well as a larger male bear with ear tags indicating it has been involved in ongoing bear research, according to a release. These bears were released onsite and have not been recaught.
However, a bear fitting the description of the bear involved in the concession stand incident was caught and has been euthanized, TWRA said.
“TWRA does not enjoy having to euthanize any wildlife, especially bears and we don't do it indiscriminately,” TWRA Black Bear Coordinator Dan Gibbs said. “We utilize what we call the 'Bear Conflict Matrix,' which was developed by wildlife professionals as a guide for addressing human/bear conflict. In this incident, the bear entered a concession stand with humans present and made physical contact with an employee causing minor injuries. Unfortunately, this bear was not a candidate for relocation.”
Anakeesta borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is a popular destination for both tourists and black bears.
But TWRA said that's about to change.
TWRA and Anakeesta officials met Monday and discussed measures to address temporary garbage storage and food access issues inside the park.
Anakeesta has purchased temporary electric fencing and electrified "unwelcome mats" to be used when the park is closed, according to a release from TWRA. The park has also ordered steel caging to secure concession stand doors and to better contain garbage before it is taken to one of their two large trash compactors, the release said.
“We applaud Anakeesta for recognizing areas where they can improve on restricting bears’ access to garbage and human foods,” TWRA Wildlife and Forestry Chief Joe Benedict said. “We feel this synergistic approach will benefit both park guests and bears."
Anakeesta officials also expressed interest in becoming a recognized “BearWise Business” and hope to help expand the program to other area businesses.
“Our team is expanding our partnership with TWRA by implementing new initiatives to keep bears and people safe during their Smoky Mountain vacations,” Bryce Bentz, Anakeesta president, said. “We are making improvements to our park every day with guidance from local agencies on how to stay ‘BearWise’.”
You can learn more about living responsibly with black bears by visiting BearWise.org.
