It is a common story — a species once eliminated returns to find not everyone welcomes it back with open arms. The return of wolves to northern Wisconsin, the reintroduction of beavers to the United Kingdom, and now the elk in Western North Carolina.
After disappearing from North Carolina in the late 1700s, the elk have since made a comeback from the history books in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — from zero to a successful and ever-growing herd in short time. But with their renewed success in their historic home, so comes a newfound set of problems.
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![black bear]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/www.thegreatsmokies.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-bear-170x95.jpg","width":170},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/www.thegreatsmokies.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-bear-270x152.jpg","width":270},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/www.thegreatsmokies.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-bear-475x267.jpg","width":475}})
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![black bear]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/www.thegreatsmokies.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-bear-170x95.jpg","width":170},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/www.thegreatsmokies.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-bear-270x152.jpg","width":270},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/www.thegreatsmokies.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-bear-475x267.jpg","width":475},"jaw_blog-16_9-big":{"file":"https:\/\/www.thegreatsmokies.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-bear-878x494.jpg","width":878}})
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