Animal Planet: Story of bear attack in Cherokee N.F. to air tonight

Animal Planet: Story of bear attack in Cherokee N.F. to air tonight

Friday, December 4, 2009

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Many of you will probably recall the story of the Ohio woman and her two small children that were attacked by a bear in the Cherokee National Forest back in 2006.

On April 13, 2006, Susan Cenkus and her children were hiking near the Chilhowee Campground near Benton Falls when a 200-pound black bear grabbed her 2-year-old son. The mother screamed for help and then launched herself at the animal - nearly losing her life in the process.

The bear tore at her neck, tossed her aside and then grabbed her 6-year-old daughter, Elora. The little girl didn't survive the attack.

Elora's death was only the second fatal attack by a black bear in Tennessee. The other was in 2000 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Now the world will have a chance to hear the full story of how Mrs. Cenkus risked her life to save her children during the attack on the Animal Planet show "I'm Alive", which will air tonight at 9 and 11 p.m., EST.

You can read more about the attack by clicking here.




Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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Black Bear Field Study Workshops

Black Bear Field Study Workshops

Sunday, March 15, 2009

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Looking for an interesting and educational alternative for a vacation this year? You may want to check out the Black Bear Field Study Course offered by the Wildlife Research Institute.

The black bear workshops are lead by Lynn Rogers, Ph.D., and are designed for anyone interested in bears. You may have seen Dr. Rogers on the Animal Planet documentary "The Man Who Walks With Bears."

The courses are designed to teach you to safely learn vocalizations, body language, behavior, and ecology directly from wild bears in their wild habitat near Ely, Minnesota. The workshops also emphasize how people can better coexist with bears.

Class sizes are kept small (8 people) to maximize individual opportunities to participate in close-up black bear research. There are also daily discussions and slide presentations to amplify the information learned directly from the bears.

The Wildlife Research Institute offers eight black bear courses throughout the spring and summer; however, four of the workshops (all in August) are already closed. The cost is $1500.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with Ely, MN, I can tell you from first hand experience that this area of the country is absolutely beautiful. Ely is within the Boundary Water Canoe Area, providing perhaps the finest canoeing experience in the country, as well as within close proximity to Minnesota’s beautiful North Coast region along Lake Superior.

For more information on the workshops, please click here.

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Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store Quality gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands.

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