Gatlinburg sees major drop in human-bear encounters this year

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Leaders in Gatlinburg saw a major drop in bear-related calls this summer compared to 2024.

They're one of East Tennessee's wildlife treasures — curious, hungry and always on the move: black bears.

"Last year was a bad year for human-bear conflict because people were doing more to prevent bear from getting into food and bears took it a step forward by trying to access cars and buildings," said Greg Grieco, with Appalachian Bear Rescue.

According to numbers from the City of Gatlinburg, about 1,522 bear calls were made between July and August. The City reported 626 bears calls in July and 896 in August.

While in 2025, they've received 521 bear calls between the two months. In July, the City received 189 bear calls and 332 in August.

"Bear-vehicle collisions seem to be