GATLINBURG, Tenn. - Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park say a bear that was euthanized this month wasn't the same one that bit a sleeping Appalachian Trail hiker.
Park wildlife technicians shot the bear with a tranquilizer dart on May 13, three days after a 49-year-old Las Vegas man was bitten on the leg while he was sleeping in a tent near the Spence Field shelter. The victim was able to scare the bear away.
Park officials took saliva from that bear, which was euthanized, and another bear that was captured and released with a tracking collar.
Media cited a statement from the park on Monday that says neither DNA sample matched the bear that bit the hiker.