The American black bears of GSMNP
are more commonly known as Smoky Mountain Black Bears or
simply as Park bears. No matter what you call them, the
bears of The Great Smoky Mountain National Park are symbols
of the wilderness and-- in a sense--freedom from the modern
world.
The
Appalachian Bear Center is a facility for bear rehabilitation,
and release. They are also dedicated to research and education
about the Black Bears of the Great Smoky Mountain National
Park. The Appalachian Bear Center is located just outside
of the park and has been returning black bears back to the
wild since 1996. http://www.appbears.org/
View
a bear in the wild on-line. BearCam by National Geographic
features live pictures of a Brown Bear. Available only during
the months that the bear is not hibernating.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/bearcam/
Other
Bear Species. Bears of the Smokies have cousins in other
national parks and wild areas. Some of the Smoky Mountain
Bear’s best known cousins are Brown and Polar Bears.
There are no brown bears and of course no Polar bears in
the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Click here for details.
http://www.alaska-bear-pictures.com/Bear_Attacks/bear_attacks.html
Brown
Bears. The McNeil River State Game Sanctuary is a bear
enthusiast’s Mecca.
Groups of forty or more wild brown bears congregate at this
sanctuary to feast on the abundant salmon that spawn there
each summer from about early July to mid-August.
