Monday, October 19, 2020

Don't feed the bears
Remember....don't feed the bears. Wildlife Officers have charged a woman from Virginia with a misdemeanor violation after she intentionally fed a black bear while on vacation in Gatlinburg. In a September 30 video that went viral on the social media platform TikTok, Kristin Hailee Farris, 21, Danville, VA , intentionally hand-fed what appears to be watermelon, chocolate, and other food to a black bear in Gatlinburg. The video is still live on the platform and has been viewed over 500,000 times. Farris has been served with a warrant charging her with Illegal Black Bear Feeding, a Class B Misdemeanor, carrying a penalty of up to six months in jail and a $500 fine. She is required to return to Sevier Co. for booking. TWRA spokesperson Matthew Cameron says, "These types of actions spawned regulations in 2000 that prohibit anyone to feed a black bear or leave food or garbage in a manner that attracts bears. The regulations apply to a 6 sq. mi. area of Gatlinburg and are intended to create a buffer zone to deter bears from going further into the city if they aren't fed or can't get into garbage." "The overwhelming desire to have a close encounter with a black bear is strangely more powerful than common sense," says Sevier Co. Wildlife Sgt. David Sexton. "Many people intentionally feed bears with little regard for the dire consequences to the bears and humans they leave behind."


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