Such a sad incident near Townsend, Tennessee, saw a black bear lose its life on Highway 321 while attempting to reach a platter of pancakes that was thrown away. The incident has become the latest in growing concerns over the issue of food littering and how it relates to wildlife safety near the Great Smoky Mountains. It was one phase of the bear’s natural preparation for winter hibernation, and it had been crossing the dangerous, curving highway in search of an easy meal when it was struck by a vehicle.
In preparation for autumn, black bears enter something called hyperphagia, a state where an animal eats as much as possible in preparation for winter fat.
In this case, the luckless bear probably considered the discarded pancakes a high-calorie opportunity, just what it needed to bulk up. Appalachian Bear Rescue, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of black bears, answered the call and afterwards confirmed that indeed, the bear was attracted to the roadside for its view and smell of food left behind by people.
Preliminary indications were that the bear-a male-was along the steep and curvy section of Highway 321, where low driver visibility makes for a dangerous situation on behalf of the animals and motorists. Food searching placed him in the path of a vehicle, which killed him. The Appalachian Bear Rescue shared that the pancakes, lying a foot away from the deceased animal, were the tragic reminder of the littered food risks.
The stretch of the Highway 321, where the bear got hit, is really treacherous. It has tight turns with minimal visibility; thus, it is dangerous for not only drivers but also animals that want to cross the highway. ABR curators, which responded to the scene, said the bear was in a position too hazardous for them to safely approach her because of oncoming traffic.
This was one sad incident that reminds one how even harmless human activity, such as scrapping leftover food, can get wildlife killed. Its death came as a sudden shock, and it underlined how urgently the need was to act responsibly in areas where human and animal habitats crossed.
ABR took to social media and released the following statement, reminding people to be more watchful about the way food is stored along with garbage and recycling in places where wildlife regularly visit. The organization stated that the disposal of garbage food into roadsides may attract animals, like bears, into various dangerous situations that include major highways where lethal accidents can occur.
Littering is not only an environmental uncleanliness; it can kill animals attracted by refuse food. Black bears have such a strong smelling sense and opportunistic nature of feeding that they are highly prone to roadside dangers.
ABR further hopes that this sad incident will serve as a wake-up call to the general public. They note how such a simple human action of negligence in the disposal of food can bring fatal consequences on bears, like on all wildlife in the area. The bottom line from this group is pretty straightforward: if people would simply not litter and secure their food waste, it would go a long, long way toward saving animal lives and avoiding such tragedies in the future.
