Appalachian Bear Rescue is a black bear rehabilitation facility located just outside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Townsend, TN. It is a nonprofit organization that has been treating and returning orphaned and injured bear back to the wild since 1996.

Tennessee law states that bears housed in rehabilitation facilities like ABR cannot be exhibited or have contact with the public, therefore the public cannot gain access to ABR bears or its facility. The mission is to keep these bears wild with limited exposure to humans.

ABR, however, is always in need of volunteers to help educate the public about black bears and appropriate human/bear interactions. This is especially important near the Great Smoky Mountain National Park where nine million or more annual visitors come to the park expressly to see black bears.

This park, in fact, was the third most visited of all U.S. national parks in 2009:

Rank
1 Blue Ridge Parkway 15,936,316 1
2 Golden Gate National Recreation Area 15,036,372 2
3 Great Smokey Mountains National Park 9,491,437 4
4 Gateway National Recreation Area 9,010,522 3
5 Lake Mead National Recreation Area 7,668,689 5
6 George Washington Memorial Parkway 6,938,309 6
7 Natchez Trace Parkway 5,934,363 7
8 Lincoln Memorial 5,225,570 9
9 Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area 5,213,030 8
10 Vietnam Veterans Memorial 4,437,771 12

You can also visit the ABR BLOG for the latest information and public programs being offered in the area throughout the year.

Donations Needed!

Appalachian Bear Rescue always needs donations of food for their bear cubs. In the fall months they especially need donations of acorns and other nuts and fruit from local apple, pear, oak or hickory trees. Take them to the VILLAGE MARKET in Townsend -- they have a barrel in the store where you can deposit your donation.

In 2009 ABR housed 23 cubs with hugh appetites. They consumed as much as three truckloads of produce per day!

To become a public education volunteer for ABR, send an email query or call (865) 448-0143.

You can also help ABR by visiting their online store where you can purchase logo shirts, outerwear, hats and caps, bags, mugs, buttons and magnets and more...