10/03/2026
It is so disheartening to see so many bears being euthanized, killed, let's say it for what it is they're being killed. Because people can't leave them alone and keep food put up.. My heart would love to feed every animal in the world but for their safety, you should never feed wildlife.. I don't think I will ever put out bird feed or corn for the animals again.. I wish I could, but it's just not what we should do.. But what we should do as a worldwide nation is to go into the deeper parts of the forest. and plant fruit trees, berry, trees and other things that bears and wildlife need to survive.
STATEMENT FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GREG on 60 Bears Euthanized in Sevier County This Year:
Friends,
It is disheartening to learn about the number of bears euthanized in Sevier County this year due to human-bear conflict. In recent years, we and other community partners have worked hard to encourage and implement BearWise practices to help humans and bears better coexist and reduce conflict, especially in the Gatlinburg area. Unfortunately, these are not the first, nor will they be the last bears to fall victim to the increasingly immense and incredibly complex issue of bears accessing human food and trash in this county.
We cannot continue to try to put out a wildfire with a garden hose. Whether it is a rental cabin, wedding venue, mini-golf course or mountain coaster every tourist attraction, restaurant, and hospitality business in Sevier County profits at the expense of the bears and their shrinking habitat. If you use the resource, you must protect the resource. We hate to say it, but unless our local government and economic leaders champion serious change sixty bears a year may, unfortunately, become "the cost of doing business in Sevier County."
Greg Grieco
Executive Director
Appalachian Bear Rescue
Via WVLT: "Tennessee reports 60 bears killed in Sevier County this year after ‘human-bear’ conflicts. In many cases, visitors to East Tennessee are the driving force behind bears getting used to being in human spaces, which is where the BearWise program comes in."
Via WATE: "Nearly all of the bears that the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has had to euthanize because of human-bear conflicts have been located in Sevier County, the agency told 6 News. According to the TWRA, there have been 61 bears have had to be humanely killed this year because of human bear conflicts. 60 of those bears were located in Sevier County. The only bear that has had to be euthanized outside of Sevier County was in Blount County."
For the original articles, see the link in our comments below.
Thank you all for doing your part to keep bears wild.
📷: Lady of the Day Tour Company, 2024
