Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) is a black bear rescue facility located just outside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Townsend, Tennessee. ABR is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that has been returning black bears back to the wild since 1996. Each year black bears from our national parks and surrounding areas are orphaned, injured, or in need of medical care. Thanks to Appalachian Bear Rescue, these bears are given a second chance at life in the wild.
The curators were out removing the vertical dens from the wild enclosures. These vertical dens were installed in 2014 to give the resident bears something to climb and explore. Black bears love to den high up in hollow trees, and some of our residents may have been born in dens similar to our vertical dens—only much higher. Our resident bears had fun climbing in and out of them, playing the cubby version of “King of the Castle” and bopping any of their mates who tried to take it. However, the dens proved difficult to keep clean, so the curators will think of something else to amuse future cubs.
In the fall of 2011, there was a failure of hard mast (acorns and nuts) in the wild. The famine of 2011–2012 was widespread, and the bears who came to ABR in late 2011 and early 2012 were all yearlings too emaciated to hibernate. ABR was there to help, and the following photo album, narrated by former Curator Janet Dalton, is in remembrance of the famine and of those bears your compassion helped save. youtu.be/Bot-rMzLDe0
We share everything we can about the bears we serve, and our facility’s past, present, and future. Thank you for your unwavering support.❤️🐻
Yesterday, Appalachian Bear Rescue was honored to accept a $10,000 gift from late William “Ed” Harmon’s Estate. Ed passed away last August and was a longtime supporter of ABR. He personally knew several of our board members, both past and present, as well as sponsored many of the Bear Necessities events. Ed was a dedicated philanthropist who was passionate about the Blount County community. We are so appreciative of this generous donation. Ed’s kindness will continue to radiate through the community he so cherished. 🕊️ ... See MoreSee Less
Since January, our ABR team has worked hard every day to get our bear facility ready to perform our mission. The last couple of days, the team has worked on some important mission details. Late last year, we arrived at Trillium Cove to find that a big wind (or maybe a big bird) had left a piece of gutter dangling from the front of our building. At the time, we tacked the piece of gutter back up, but because it was severely bent outward, the gutter could no longer perform its critical mission. Yesterday, the team worked to improve the repair job. Now, rain water should make its way through the gutter and away from the building.
It's also about time to start mowing the grass and we have a lot of grass to mow. Curators Tom, Jamie and Seth brought out the John Deere riding mower and performed some important maintenance tasks. The John Deere couldn't perform its critical mission without a sharpened blade. Fortunately, it was Curator Jamie to the rescue and now the John Deere is ready to serve.
On Tuesday, the folks from Land Rover and Outside Magazine came to ABR to film a few clips to promote the 2025 Defender Service Awards. Unfortunately, Curators Greg and Katrina arrived to find that the Defender had a flat tire. Greg and Katrina added air and the team used some soapy water to find the slow leak. A nail was in the tire. Everyone pitched in to wash the Defender to get ready for its photo shoot. The tire would need repair a little later in the day.
Our sincere thanks to the folks at Matlock Tire & Auto Repair in Maryville. They fixed the tire free of charge and the Defender is back and ready for action.
Thanks also to the Maryville Newcomers. Greg attended their meeting and luncheon yesterday and shared our mission with them. We appreciate them including us in their program (and Greg appreciated lunch)! ... See MoreSee Less
It’s officially spring in the Smokies!! This means that wildflowers and other leafy vegetation is in bloom. Classified as a carnivore, the American black bear is actually an omnivore, meaning they eat both plants and other animals. Great Smoky Mountains National Park reports that 85% of a black bears’ diet in the Smokies consists of berries (soft mast) and nuts (hard mast).
Dandelions, often overlooked as a weed, offer some of the first available nutrients to a black bear that’s exiting their winter den. Dandelions are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as iron and calcium. They are also easily digestible, which allows for maximum energy extraction when consumed. Black bears consume all parts of a dandelion, from the roots to their flowering yellow heads.
And that’s not all! Dandelions provide black bears with protein, carbohydrates and they even taste sweet. While dandelions are not native to the United States, they are not considered an invasive species nor one that poses any great ecological threats. 🐻 FUN FACT: ABR had a bear cub resident named Dandelion in 2019.
* * * Many of you have been asking about our current status with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and our ability to take in bear cubs. While we understand your questions, we don’t feel it is yet appropriate to broadcast relationship repairs that are happening behind the scenes. For 29 years you have supported and trusted us in giving bear cubs a second chance at life in the wild. Please know that our mission has not changed and we ask that you can continue to trust and support us through these recent uncertainties. We will update you as soon as we are able. Thank you for being here.❤️ * * * ... See MoreSee Less
Hard work associated with facility maintenance projects is old hat for the ABR team. Today was no different. Curators continued with their work to renovate Enclosures 3 and 4. We won't use these two enclosures for several more months, but we want them renovated and ready when the time comes. Today was also the day to install some new flashing on the back side of the Hartley House roof. We had noticed some water damage on the ends of the roof decking. Curator Tom went to the metal roof supply company and ordered some custom flashing.
Over in Enclosure 4, the team has dismantled most of the platform structures. Last time we did work on these platforms (we think 2020) we decoupled the platforms from the trees. We don't have to repeat that step! We can continue to use the poles that were already there. Most of the long boards that hold up the platform slats were in great shape and we can reuse them. There were a couple long boards with a bit of rot and a lot of woodpecker damage. We will flame treat these poles and boards to sanitize them. Cubs can't sit (or poop) directly on the posts or the rail boards, so we know it's ok to keep them. Curators Jamie and Seth worked to replace the bad rail boards today. Soon, they will begin adding new cypress planks and these platforms will be ready.
Today, we welcomed folks from Land Rover and Outside magazine to the bear facility. They got some photos and video with Curator Greg. We are excited to help them as they prepare to announce the 2025 Defender Service Awards. We encourage all non-profits to participate in this wonderful opportunity to win a brand new Defender, monetary awards from Land Rover and their partners like KONG, and the opportunity for worldwide exposure for your cause! We can't thank Land Rover enough for the Defender and all they do to partner with us! We are happy they could stop by and see us today.
We have a lot of Mayapple blooming in our enclosure areas. Did you know that Mayapple blooms appear under the foliage? Though the plants and flowers are lovely, all parts of the Mayapple plant are poisonous. ... See MoreSee Less
Our curators are currently working in Wild Enclosure #3, dismantling the firehose hammock and disposing of twigs, branches, and leaves. They will be weaving and installing a new hammock in the near future. Although we won't be using Wild Enclosures #3 and #4 for a while, it's essential to keep them in excellent condition so they can recover.
On September 9, 2021, Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) received a seven-month-old female cub from the Gatlinburg area of Sevier County. The cub weighed 36.5 pounds (16.6 kg), a healthy weight for a wild cub of her age. Sadly, she was found next to the body of her brother.
Wildlife officers waited 24 hours, hoping the mother would return, before intervening. A seven-month-old cub, even in good health, is still too young to have a good chance of survival on its own. We named her India, and she thrived at ABR, returning to the wild three months later on December 6, 2021. At the time of her release, she weighed 91.9 pounds (41.69 kg). We hope that India has prospered in the wild and has cubs of her own.🐻Please click on the link for a brief video of India's stay at ABR. www.facebook.com/AppalachianBearRescue/videos/437581181171991/
ABR assumes ALL costs for cubs and yearlings who come to our facility, including transportation, medical care, and food. We don’t want financial constraints to be a barrier for any wildlife agency seeking to help a bear. Thanks to our network of dedicated fans, we’ve even sent a plane, nicknamed “Bear Force One”, to pick up little bears from other states. Although India's brother was not an official ABR resident, we covered the cost of a necropsy to determine what killed this seemingly healthy little bear. As is so often the case, the results of the necropsy were “inconclusive”; there was nothing that could be labeled as the cause of death.The vets at UTCVM-University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine froze samples of the cub's tissue for potential future analysis. We believe that gaining knowledge can only benefit our mission and the bears we serve. 🐻
We share everything we can about the bears we serve, and our facility’s past, present, and future. Thank you for your unwavering support.❤️
ABR Daily Update-April 13, 2025-Always for the bears.🐻
While our curators take a well-deserved day off, we're looking back to 2013 and a wonderful interview by Ken Tucker, filmed for Wild Side TV, on the occasion of Bennie, Jerry, and Carrie Bear's return to South Carolina. The interview features conversations with Jason Davis from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and former curators Coy Blair, Janet Dalton, David Whitehead (then a wildlife officer with TWRA), and Dana Dodd, with a cameo appearance by Curator Tom.
Appalachian Bear Rescue has been rescuing bears since 1996. Before our inception, there was no alternative but to euthanize orphaned bear cubs and injured yearlings. Compassionate individuals came together and worked tirelessly to provide a better option. We continue to evolve our methods and our facility with one goal in mind: to save injured and orphaned black bear cubs and yearlings for return to the wild. We've never wavered from this mission; it is the sole reason for our existence. We share with you everything we can about the bears we serve and our facility's past, present, and future. Thank you for your unwavering support.❤️
ABR Daily Update- April 12, 2025-Progress made 👷🏼♂️🔨
Weather:56F (13C) Humidity 47%, Partly cloudy 🌤️
Our curators have moved on to Wild Enclosures #3 and #4. Although these enclosures won’t be in use for a while, it’s important that they are cleaned and renovated, ready to go when needed.
Today’s video is from 2015 and shows our then-resident cubs foraging. At the time, the cubs would have been about seven months old, just months away from returning to the wild. ABR aims to keep cubs for as little time as possible, minimizing their habituation to captivity while giving them the best chance at survival. We typically release bears in the late fall or early winter, when they are about ten or eleven months old, relying on the lack of food in the wild to trigger their hibernation instinct. They will have plenty of fat reserves to see them through the winter and will begin the mostly solitary life of a black bear in the spring. Please click in the link below:🐻
Appalachian Bear Rescue would like to acknowledge Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies for working very hard to improve their outdoor fridge and freezer area. Back in November of 2024, Chuck Winstead worked with ABR's Operations Director, Greg Grieco, to install an unwelcome mat at the entrance of the facility's cold food storage. An unwelcome mat is an electrified, physical deterrent that effectively keeps bears away by delivering a brief shock if stepped on.
While this tactic worked, Ripley's Aquarium knew that it was only a temporary fix to their problem. Since then, they have spent a lot of time and money to secure a more permanent solution that keeps bears and people safe. Now, a caged structure surrounds the aquarium's fridges and freezers, and knowing that black bears instincts are to go "UP", they even included a ceiling panel.
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ABR Daily Update-April 19, 2024-Vertical Dens 🐻
Weather: 87F (31C) Humidity 35%, Cloudy ☁️
The curators were out removing the vertical dens from the wild enclosures. These vertical dens were installed in 2014 to give the resident bears something to climb and explore. Black bears love to den high up in hollow trees, and some of our residents may have been born in dens similar to our vertical dens—only much higher. Our resident bears had fun climbing in and out of them, playing the cubby version of “King of the Castle” and bopping any of their mates who tried to take it. However, the dens proved difficult to keep clean, so the curators will think of something else to amuse future cubs.
In the fall of 2011, there was a failure of hard mast (acorns and nuts) in the wild. The famine of 2011–2012 was widespread, and the bears who came to ABR in late 2011 and early 2012 were all yearlings too emaciated to hibernate. ABR was there to help, and the following photo album, narrated by former Curator Janet Dalton, is in remembrance of the famine and of those bears your compassion helped save.
youtu.be/Bot-rMzLDe0
We share everything we can about the bears we serve, and our facility’s past, present, and future. Thank you for your unwavering support.❤️🐻
🎉Our Visitor & Education Center at Trillium Cove is open! Please click on the link for more information:
appalachianbearrescue.org/contact-us/
🛑bearwise.org offers excellent information on what black bears are up to at this time of year and what to do if you hike or live in “Bear Country”.
*We post one update daily, seven days a week. ... See MoreSee Less
14 CommentsComment on Facebook
April 18th 2025 - Thank You Mr. Ed Harmon!!
Yesterday, Appalachian Bear Rescue was honored to accept a $10,000 gift from late William “Ed” Harmon’s Estate. Ed passed away last August and was a longtime supporter of ABR. He personally knew several of our board members, both past and present, as well as sponsored many of the Bear Necessities events. Ed was a dedicated philanthropist who was passionate about the Blount County community. We are so appreciative of this generous donation. Ed’s kindness will continue to radiate through the community he so cherished. 🕊️ ... See MoreSee Less
66 CommentsComment on Facebook
April 17, 2025: Making Things Mission Ready
Since January, our ABR team has worked hard every day to get our bear facility ready to perform our mission. The last couple of days, the team has worked on some important mission details. Late last year, we arrived at Trillium Cove to find that a big wind (or maybe a big bird) had left a piece of gutter dangling from the front of our building. At the time, we tacked the piece of gutter back up, but because it was severely bent outward, the gutter could no longer perform its critical mission. Yesterday, the team worked to improve the repair job. Now, rain water should make its way through the gutter and away from the building.
It's also about time to start mowing the grass and we have a lot of grass to mow. Curators Tom, Jamie and Seth brought out the John Deere riding mower and performed some important maintenance tasks. The John Deere couldn't perform its critical mission without a sharpened blade. Fortunately, it was Curator Jamie to the rescue and now the John Deere is ready to serve.
On Tuesday, the folks from Land Rover and Outside Magazine came to ABR to film a few clips to promote the 2025 Defender Service Awards. Unfortunately, Curators Greg and Katrina arrived to find that the Defender had a flat tire. Greg and Katrina added air and the team used some soapy water to find the slow leak. A nail was in the tire. Everyone pitched in to wash the Defender to get ready for its photo shoot. The tire would need repair a little later in the day.
Our sincere thanks to the folks at Matlock Tire & Auto Repair in Maryville. They fixed the tire free of charge and the Defender is back and ready for action.
Thanks also to the Maryville Newcomers. Greg attended their meeting and luncheon yesterday and shared our mission with them. We appreciate them including us in their program (and Greg appreciated lunch)! ... See MoreSee Less
11 CommentsComment on Facebook
April 16, 2025 - Spring Green Up! 🌼🏔️
It’s officially spring in the Smokies!! This means that wildflowers and other leafy vegetation is in bloom. Classified as a carnivore, the American black bear is actually an omnivore, meaning they eat both plants and other animals. Great Smoky Mountains National Park reports that 85% of a black bears’ diet in the Smokies consists of berries (soft mast) and nuts (hard mast).
Dandelions, often overlooked as a weed, offer some of the first available nutrients to a black bear that’s exiting their winter den. Dandelions are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as iron and calcium. They are also easily digestible, which allows for maximum energy extraction when consumed. Black bears consume all parts of a dandelion, from the roots to their flowering yellow heads.
And that’s not all! Dandelions provide black bears with protein, carbohydrates and they even taste sweet. While dandelions are not native to the United States, they are not considered an invasive species nor one that poses any great ecological threats. 🐻 FUN FACT: ABR had a bear cub resident named Dandelion in 2019.
* * * Many of you have been asking about our current status with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and our ability to take in bear cubs. While we understand your questions, we don’t feel it is yet appropriate to broadcast relationship repairs that are happening behind the scenes. For 29 years you have supported and trusted us in giving bear cubs a second chance at life in the wild. Please know that our mission has not changed and we ask that you can continue to trust and support us through these recent uncertainties. We will update you as soon as we are able. Thank you for being here.❤️ * * * ... See MoreSee Less
34 CommentsComment on Facebook
April 15, 2025: Something Old, Something New
Hard work associated with facility maintenance projects is old hat for the ABR team. Today was no different. Curators continued with their work to renovate Enclosures 3 and 4. We won't use these two enclosures for several more months, but we want them renovated and ready when the time comes. Today was also the day to install some new flashing on the back side of the Hartley House roof. We had noticed some water damage on the ends of the roof decking. Curator Tom went to the metal roof supply company and ordered some custom flashing.
Over in Enclosure 4, the team has dismantled most of the platform structures. Last time we did work on these platforms (we think 2020) we decoupled the platforms from the trees. We don't have to repeat that step! We can continue to use the poles that were already there. Most of the long boards that hold up the platform slats were in great shape and we can reuse them. There were a couple long boards with a bit of rot and a lot of woodpecker damage. We will flame treat these poles and boards to sanitize them. Cubs can't sit (or poop) directly on the posts or the rail boards, so we know it's ok to keep them. Curators Jamie and Seth worked to replace the bad rail boards today. Soon, they will begin adding new cypress planks and these platforms will be ready.
Today, we welcomed folks from Land Rover and Outside magazine to the bear facility. They got some photos and video with Curator Greg. We are excited to help them as they prepare to announce the 2025 Defender Service Awards. We encourage all non-profits to participate in this wonderful opportunity to win a brand new Defender, monetary awards from Land Rover and their partners like KONG, and the opportunity for worldwide exposure for your cause! We can't thank Land Rover enough for the Defender and all they do to partner with us! We are happy they could stop by and see us today.
We have a lot of Mayapple blooming in our enclosure areas. Did you know that Mayapple blooms appear under the foliage? Though the plants and flowers are lovely, all parts of the Mayapple plant are poisonous. ... See MoreSee Less
12 CommentsComment on Facebook
ABR Daily Update-April 14, 2025-Hammock Removal 🐻
Weather:84F (29C) Humidity 40%, Sunny 🌞
Our curators are currently working in Wild Enclosure #3, dismantling the firehose hammock and disposing of twigs, branches, and leaves. They will be weaving and installing a new hammock in the near future. Although we won't be using Wild Enclosures #3 and #4 for a while, it's essential to keep them in excellent condition so they can recover.
On September 9, 2021, Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) received a seven-month-old female cub from the Gatlinburg area of Sevier County. The cub weighed 36.5 pounds (16.6 kg), a healthy weight for a wild cub of her age. Sadly, she was found next to the body of her brother.
Wildlife officers waited 24 hours, hoping the mother would return, before intervening. A seven-month-old cub, even in good health, is still too young to have a good chance of survival on its own. We named her India, and she thrived at ABR, returning to the wild three months later on December 6, 2021. At the time of her release, she weighed 91.9 pounds (41.69 kg). We hope that India has prospered in the wild and has cubs of her own.🐻Please click on the link for a brief video of India's stay at ABR.
www.facebook.com/AppalachianBearRescue/videos/437581181171991/
ABR assumes ALL costs for cubs and yearlings who come to our facility, including transportation, medical care, and food. We don’t want financial constraints to be a barrier for any wildlife agency seeking to help a bear. Thanks to our network of dedicated fans, we’ve even sent a plane, nicknamed “Bear Force One”, to pick up little bears from other states. Although India's brother was not an official ABR resident, we covered the cost of a necropsy to determine what killed this seemingly healthy little bear. As is so often the case, the results of the necropsy were “inconclusive”; there was nothing that could be labeled as the cause of death.The vets at UTCVM-University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine froze samples of the cub's tissue for potential future analysis. We believe that gaining knowledge can only benefit our mission and the bears we serve. 🐻
We share everything we can about the bears we serve, and our facility’s past, present, and future. Thank you for your unwavering support.❤️
🎉Our Visitor & Education Center at Trillium Cove is open! Please click on the link for more information:
appalachianbearrescue.org/contact-us/
🛑bearwise.org offers excellent information on what black bears are up to at this time of year and what to do if you hike or live in “Bear Country”.
*We post one update daily, seven days a week. ... See MoreSee Less
16 CommentsComment on Facebook
ABR Daily Update-April 13, 2025-Always for the bears.🐻
While our curators take a well-deserved day off, we're looking back to 2013 and a wonderful interview by Ken Tucker, filmed for Wild Side TV, on the occasion of Bennie, Jerry, and Carrie Bear's return to South Carolina. The interview features conversations with Jason Davis from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and former curators Coy Blair, Janet Dalton, David Whitehead (then a wildlife officer with TWRA), and Dana Dodd, with a cameo appearance by Curator Tom.
Appalachian Bear Rescue has been rescuing bears since 1996. Before our inception, there was no alternative but to euthanize orphaned bear cubs and injured yearlings. Compassionate individuals came together and worked tirelessly to provide a better option. We continue to evolve our methods and our facility with one goal in mind: to save injured and orphaned black bear cubs and yearlings for return to the wild. We've never wavered from this mission; it is the sole reason for our existence. We share with you everything we can about the bears we serve and our facility's past, present, and future. Thank you for your unwavering support.❤️
🎉Our Visitor & Education Center at Trillium Cove is open! Please click on the link for more information:
appalachianbearrescue.org/contact-us/
🛑bearwise.org offers excellent information on what black bears are up to at this time of year and what to do if you hike or live in “Bear Country”.
*We post one update daily, seven days a week.
youtu.be/tBqNARm7ACI?si=ZGOwnOtX-ZnGW9u7 ... See MoreSee Less
23 CommentsComment on Facebook
ABR Daily Update- April 12, 2025-Progress made 👷🏼♂️🔨
Weather:56F (13C) Humidity 47%, Partly cloudy 🌤️
Our curators have moved on to Wild Enclosures #3 and #4. Although these enclosures won’t be in use for a while, it’s important that they are cleaned and renovated, ready to go when needed.
Today’s video is from 2015 and shows our then-resident cubs foraging. At the time, the cubs would have been about seven months old, just months away from returning to the wild. ABR aims to keep cubs for as little time as possible, minimizing their habituation to captivity while giving them the best chance at survival. We typically release bears in the late fall or early winter, when they are about ten or eleven months old, relying on the lack of food in the wild to trigger their hibernation instinct. They will have plenty of fat reserves to see them through the winter and will begin the mostly solitary life of a black bear in the spring. Please click in the link below:🐻
youtu.be/cwP2MOOWe08?si=Gq5vgMPBRaRlWnNk
🎉Our Visitor & Education Center at Trillium Cove is open! Please click on the link for more information:
appalachianbearrescue.org/contact-us/
🛑bearwise.org offers excellent information on what black bears are up to at this time of year and what to do if you hike or live in “Bear Country”.
*We post one update daily, seven days a week ... See MoreSee Less
9 CommentsComment on Facebook
April 11th 2025 - BearWise Business SHOUTOUT 🐻📣🪸
Appalachian Bear Rescue would like to acknowledge Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies for working very hard to improve their outdoor fridge and freezer area. Back in November of 2024, Chuck Winstead worked with ABR's Operations Director, Greg Grieco, to install an unwelcome mat at the entrance of the facility's cold food storage. An unwelcome mat is an electrified, physical deterrent that effectively keeps bears away by delivering a brief shock if stepped on.
While this tactic worked, Ripley's Aquarium knew that it was only a temporary fix to their problem. Since then, they have spent a lot of time and money to secure a more permanent solution that keeps bears and people safe. Now, a caged structure surrounds the aquarium's fridges and freezers, and knowing that black bears instincts are to go "UP", they even included a ceiling panel.
It has been a pleasure working with Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies and we thank them for their commitment to coexist with Gatlinburg black bears! 👏 ... See MoreSee Less
26 CommentsComment on Facebook