It’s the beginning of the end of Summer, and Fall will soon be upon us. Before you get too festive, though, and run to the grocery store for pumpkins, state officials have a message first.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), along with the City of Gatlinburg, are asking residents to refrain from using real produce for their fall decorations. Using real foods such as pumpkins, squash, gourd, and corn is a sure way to attract bears. The goal is to reduce the number of human-bear interactions, in turn protecting both humans and bears. Instead use fake decorations that will not only keep animals away, but you can reuse in the future.
The city is also asking people to make sure their trash is secured, remove bird feeders, and keep all pet food indoors.
Gatlinburg has been seeing a lot more human-bear encounters, and in order to keep it to a minimum, they launched a new animal-resistant dumpster program.
These dumpsters are designed to deter animals, particularly bears, from accessing waste, thereby eliminating garbage as a food source for the animals and reducing the likelihood of potentially dangerous encounters.
The dumpsters will be maintained by the city, taking the responsibility off of business owners.
