In Gatlinburg TN, which is near to Townsend and ABR, this news story appeared on a local channel. It seems a bear broke into a candy store in the town, and helped itself to various sweet treats. There is a video that shows the bear on the security camera tape, as well as a couple of the store’s employees.
The cub we wrote about yesterday was going for healthy food in the produce department of the store, but this bear was going for the sweets. It is true that bears have a sweet tooth, and that fact can cause major problems as they are enticed by sweet smells in garbage (or in candy stores). Some caring but misinformed people will put out sweet treats like donuts and cookies for bears, thinking the bears will enjoy them. Although bears are generally resistant to diseases, they are subject to tooth decay, and for an animal that depends on nuts in the fall, to have decaying teeth can lead to malnutrition and ultimately to death. We can’t say this too often: Don’t ever feed bears! A fed (by humans) bear is a dead (by humans) bear.