GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK — A new six-minute video podcast developed by Great Smoky Mountains Association informs viewers about hiking safety and wildlife behavior, particularly black bears.

To view the podcast, visit http://thegreatsmokymountains.org/hike_smokies_challenge

The video podcast is an indepth educational piece about bear country and sets up practical advice and emphasizes Park regulations for keeping bears wild and away from people and developed areas.

Kim Delozier, the Park’s chief wildlife biologist, is featured in the podcast and emphasizes the responses people should make and actions to take if encountered by a bear on a trail.

The park recently had to euthanize a black bear after it bit a visitor who approached it to take a picture. Sean M. Konover of Wilton, Conn., has been charged with "willfully approaching" the bear in a way that caused the animal to be disturbed or displaced.

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