great smoky mountains

Rangers Forced to Euthanize Aggressive Black Bear in Smoky Mountains

Rangers at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park had to euthanize a black bear Tuesday. They said the bear was so aggressive, there was no other choice.

Rangers caught the bear near Mt. Le Conte Tuesday morning. After going through several steps, they decided it had to be put down.

That bear chased a park ranger Sunday evening and prompted a trail closure.

“Clearly when you looked at the behavior of the bear it was predatory behavior. Which is incredibly rare with black bears,” said park spokesperson Dana Soehn. “We follow a strict standard when looking at any bear situation and a decision to euthanize a bear is never made lightly here in the park.”

Rangers say this is a rare occurrence.

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