Bears chase, bite visitors at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, prompting closures
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- Parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park remain closed after multiple aggressive bear encounters over the weekend, including incidents where bears chased and bit visitors.
- Three incidents occurred near Ramsey Cascades Trail, with bears taking backpacks and displaying aggressive behavior, leading to continued closure of the trail and Ramsey Prong Road.
- Three other incidents near Abrams Falls involved an aggressive black bear biting a visitor who entered a closed area; the trail and road there have since reopened after no recent bear activity.
- The park, home to about 1,900 black bears and the most-visited in the U.S., sees increased bear activity in spring as mother bears with cubs search for food, raising the risk of human-bear encounters.
- Visitors are urged to maintain distance, store food and trash properly, and avoid feeding bears, as feeding can condition bears to human food and increase dangerous interactions.
