GATLINBURG, Tenn. - Rangers at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have developed a video podcast on how to deal with black bears while hiking in the Smokies.
The video can be viewed online at the park website under the recently launched program "Reward Yourself - Hike the Smokies Challenge."
The six-minute video features the park's chief wildlife biologist Kim Delozier, who tells what to do if hikers encounter a black bear on a trail.
While injuries from bears are unusual, a Cosby school teacher was fatally mauled by two bears near a park campground in May 2000. In the Cherokee National Forest of East Tennessee, a 6-year-old girl was killed by a bear in April 2006 and her brother and mother were critically injured.
A black bear attacked a hiker this week in Kentucky's Red River Gorge.
___
Online:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: http://thegreatsmokymountains.org/hike_smokies_challenge