Bear Safety | Smoky Mountain Bear Country

What To Do If You Encounter A Black Bear 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

There are lots of black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the areas surrounding it, so you never know when or where your paths may cross. Bear sightings can be an exciting experience, but visitors should remember to keep safety in mind at all times. Although bears may seem friendly and tame, they are unpredictable creatures that are extremely powerful and can become aggressive if they feel threatened. Even simply approaching a bear could be interpreted as a threat, especially to a mother bear with cubs. The best thing you can do is keep your distance.

Officials of the GSMNP provide these guidelines for bear safety when visiting the Great Smoky Mountain National Park:

1. Do not feed or toss food to a bear or any wild animal.
2. Keep children close to you, and keep pets indoors or in a vehicle or camper.
3. Do not approach a bear — they are dangerous. If it changes its natural behavior (feeding, foraging, or movement) because of your presence, you are too close!
4. Never surround or corner a bear.
5. Never run from a bear, but slowly back away, watching the bear. Do not turn away from the bear.
6. If the bear starts to approach you, stand your ground. Yell and wave your arms above your head.
7. If a bear persistently follows or approaches you, without vocalizing or paw swatting, try changing your direction. 
8. If the bear gets closer, act aggressively and try 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). 
9. In the extreme case that you are physically attacked by a black bear, try to fight back aggressively with any non-food object available such as rocks. Playing dead is usually not an appropriate response to a black bear attack.
10. Encourage others to follow these instructions.
11. Be responsible. Improper behavior on your part may have serious consequences!
12. Report all bear incidents to a park ranger immediately. 

Remember, approaching a bear is not only dangerous, but it is also illegal. In fact, willfully approaching a bear within 150 feet, or any distance that disturbs or displaces a bear, can result in fines and arrest. If you want to see a bear up close, use binoculars, telephoto lens, or a spotting scope. Keep in mind that even though bears can weigh hundreds of pounds, they are good tree climbers and swimmers, and can even run 30 miles per hour. In addition, they have a great sense of smell, and can be enticed by human food so proper storage and disposal of food is imperative.