A man who went into Great Smoky Mountains National Park to poach ginseng root (pictured here) might have been killed by a bear/NPS
A black bear believed to have scavenged on the body of a man who went to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to collect ginseng roots was killed Sunday morning by park rangers. Whether the adult boar actually killed the man remained to be determined, park staff said.
William Lee Hill, Jr., 30, of Louisville, Tenn., and a friend had gone into the park near Cades Cove a week ago Friday to hunt for ginseng, a root used by some as a traditional home medicine. Prices can go as high as $800 a pound for ginseng. While the root can be collected outside the park, it is illegal to do so inside the boundaries.
When Hill failed to meet up with his friend, a search was launched last Sunday. The man's body was found Tuesday afternoon in the woods about 2 miles north of Cades Cove and about a half-mile from the Rich Mountain Road.
Searchers who found the body, which had signs of being fed on, saw a bear in the area. It "would not leave the area, and continued to show aggression towards our searchers and others who came in to remove the body," park spokeswoman Julena Campbell said Sunday.
Since it wasn't known whether the bear had killed Hill, the decision was made to place a GPS radio collar on the bear and let it go pending further information, she said. While rangers were putting the collar on the bear, they found evidence of human DNA on it, she said.
On Wednesday, park staff, in discussions with Superintendent Cassius Cash, decided to destroy the bear. However, the GPS collar placed on the animal was programmed to send out location signals every two or three hours, and so it took longer than expected to relocate the bear, said Ms. Campbell.
Additional traps were placed near where Hill's body was found, and while the bear didn't go into any of them, on Sunday morning shortly before 10 a.m. when the traps were checked the bear was seen in the area and was killed, she said.
A necropsy on the bear, which was estimated to weigh about 175 pounds, was planned. Park officials also were awaiting autopsy results on Hill to determine how he died.
"This one’s a complicated case," Ms. Campbell said. "We don’t know what we'll find out.”
Comments
Amen
As Mrs Williams stated, it truly is sad to see the unfortunate end of a bear when it crosses or is forced to cross that line. Sad as that is, there is a situation even sadder.
First of all, I remove my hat to the law enforcement Personnel that risk their own safety for the welfare of others. The decisions they make are not easy ones, nor do they enjoy situations like the one that has lead us to this discussion. I highly respect the work they do, and the conservation efforts that have been instigated by their agency that has ensured thus far the maintenance of forest and wildlife with their benefits we enjoy today.
Secondly, the man who lost his life if while illegally harvesting ginseng could have just as easily been a naturalist or botanist photographing the plant which happens to be perfectly legal. It also could have been a hiker or a child. The bear did not weigh the actions of its prey before striking with a strength and speed that many couldn't come close to escaping.
Truth is, the man who's Life was taken may very well have not been ready to face eternity. When we value any animal over the eternal soul of man, we have ourselves become brute beast without natural affection, and as unmerciful as any rogue bear in the Great Smokey Mountains. God help us.
This would have happened if he was just out for a walk in the park it's not like the bear knows what the man was doing was wrong..but I'm like u on the point of killing these beautiful animals just relocate the bear deeper in the woods were it want come in contact with humans.
So wrong. When has a black bear ever killed a man in gsm. Decades ago.
So many comments based on insufficient information. Sometimes you have to be okay with not understanding exactly what happened and be disciplined enough to hold your comments until the investigation is complete.
I agree Doug. Wish they would have done that in the case of the bear.
Depends on what the person is doing. There was a grizzly attack in Wyoming that resulted in a fatality, and that happened was that a legal hunter was going back to dress the elk that he'd killed the day before. It was apparently very odd because the bear didn't seem to care about the elk. Usually they'll avoid people. Black bears even more so.
Relocation just doesn't work. They can't be relocated far enough where they'll never see another person. If they're aggressive towards people, then they'll be aggressive where they're relocated. Even if the bear manages to stay in the area, the locals will be furious that a "problem bear" (especially one that's killed a person) was turned into their problem. I've heard of plenty of stories where this was tried (never where a black bear killed a person) and the bear managed to return to the area.
Black bears are a beautiful animal in the WILD, yes the WILD and does it dawn on a human being that if you come into their territory something is bound to happen, they protect their surrounding as we do as human beings. If there is an intruder in our home we protect ourselves, right!!!!!! Its common sense. No animal should be attacked or killed if in its surroundings, their home. If we as humans are stupid enough to go into their surroundings knowing what could possibly happen that person should be ready for attack or even death and it sucks its that way cause you have ignorant people that feels such a way about an animal that is doing the same as we would do as a human. There isnt a difference. As far as bears being in a town going thru trash killing animals just think before your house was built or businesses built this was the land bears roamed, so yes they are going to continue to do so. If not happy with it move they have always done this so it just didnt start so get over the fact that bears are protecting their surroundings as we do everyday. Its sad but common sense falls far from alot of people when it comes to a safe choice or stupid choice. Let the bears be. They deserve life just like we do. Prime example here, sharks are big and belong in the water right well its our choice to get in the beach where these big aggressive fish roam eat ECT. But does it occur to any of these negative comments they can strike at anytime and either attack or kill why cause were in their surroundings this is where they live eat breath and all they know so it's OUR CHOICE TO take cahnce and hope we dont get attack, no difference in the bear attack. Leave their territory alone and dont blame the bear.