Homing of Black Bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The interactions between nuisance black bears (Ursus americanus) and people create many problems in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP or Park) as well as in other areas of North America. These interactions necessitate management guidelines determined from biological data about the bears. Personnel of the National Park Service (NPS) have handled nuisance bears by moving them to various areas within the Park, transporting them to state wildlife management areas or in some instances destroying habitually nuisance animals. Generally, bears have been destroyed only when other management procedures failed and the animal was judged to present a potential danger to Park visitors.