NEWS BLIPS
Bear Cubs Invade Hot Tub In Great Smoky Vacation Cottage
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through WKRN.com's website.
GATLINBURG, Tenn. - WKRN, a local Tennessee news outlet, reported on a vacationing couple who woke to find three black bear cubs relaxing in the hot tub on the porch of their cabin. The couple waited for the cubs to leave before closing up the tub, but said the bears returned later, looking for another dip.
The National Park Service (NPS) says that some 1,500 black bears are estimated to live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and are protected by law. The NPS website warns that bears are dangerous and unpredictable wild animals, and should be treated with extreme caution during any encounter. Willfully approaching within 50 yards (150 feet), or any distance that disturbs or displaces a bear, is illegal in the park.
Find out more about encounters with black bears including temporary bear closures, on the NPS Great Smoky Mountains National Park website.