The Gatlinburg Bears Are at It Again, This Time Swimming in Downtown Gatlinburg

Black bears are the iconic symbol of The Great Smoky Mountains and are a common sight around Gatlinburg. This part of Tennessee is blessed with more than its fair share of bears! In fact, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a huge and protected area where black bears can live free in their wild and natural habitat. They live all over the park and it is estimated that there are two bears per square mile.

Watch the Amazing Video Now!

They turn up on roads, in people’s gardens and, it seems, in the river downtown! In this amazing video, we see one of the Gatlinburg bears taking a dip in the river. At first, it is struggling to climb up the concrete bank and cannot find anything to grasp hold of. Eventually, it finds hand and foot holes and manage to haul themselves out of the water. They then stroll calmly back across a shallow part of the river and into the woods in the direction of a busy street.

Where Is Gatlinburg Located on a Map?

Gatlinburg is located to the north of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and to the west of the Cherokee National Forest. The towns of Williamsburg, Pidgeon Forge, and Oldham can be found further to the north.

North American Black Bear Facts

As their name suggests, the North American black bear is found in many parts of North America. They are considered medium-sized bears – however, they can still grow up to around 600 pounds and to a height of six feet. Despite being called black bears, they can also be brown, red, or even a light tan color. Their fur is short and neat and they have a pointed muzzle and small eyes. This type of bear also has several adaptions to help them climb trees more easily – their legs and claws are shorter than those found in the brown bear. Black bears have a great nose for food but their hearing and sight are not so great.

They seem to be a very adaptable species that have learned to live alongside humans. This has helped their numbers to stabilize and even increase in some areas despite a background of habitat loss.

How Do Black Bears Behave?

Black Bears prefer to live alone, sleeping during the day and hunting at night. As is the case for many types of bears, they spend a large part of their time looking for another meal. No doubt that is where the bear in this vid is heading! They are a carnivore but most of their diet is made up of plant material and that can be fruits, nuts, grasses, roots, and berries. They also like odd insect and small rodent. However, their diet is very varied and they will also eat carrion and young deer, and are pretty good at catching fish. Perhaps that’s what this guy was attempting to do. During the period leading up to their semi-hibernation, they have to eat even more to build up their fat reserves. During winter, they retreat into dens and only venture out to top up with the odd snack!