That's not something you see every day. Check out this black bear brawl filmed recently in Tennessee.
Spring seems like it's finally here. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and new signs of life are starting to appear as things green up around the country. There are also plenty of bears that are up and about after their long winter slumber. Most of them are out looking for food more than anything else at this time of year.
Which is why it's surprising to see a knockdown, drag out fight between two large bruins before May. Yet that's exactly what happened recently near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. More specifically, near a popular tourist destination called Ely's Mill.
The brawl happened near some rental cabins. Fortunately, there were no guests around the area where the bears were fighting. BJ and Micah Campbell did manage to film the scene with their cell phone, and it shows a remarkable amount of ferocity between the two scrappy bruins. It was subsequently shared by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency on social media.
BJ and Micah Campbell took this video from a garage of 2 big bears fighting near Ely's Mill in G?burg. It?s a little early for bears to battle for dominance during breeding season, so it may be a dispute over a food source. #tnwildlife #bearwise #watchablewildlifewednesday pic.twitter.com/Zinjle9GH6
— TWRA (@tnwildlife) April 27, 2022
The smaller bear never really had a chance in this brawl. He or she was run off rather quickly after realizing it couldn't match the larger bear's size and strength. Just another day in the woods in Tennessee, although this time someone was lucky enough to be standing nearby with a camera.
Ely's Mill is located close to the border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It features a store and rents out cabins to tourists during the busier summer months.
In case you were wondering, the TWRA has since commented on Twitter that it's a little early in the year for bears to be fighting for rights during the breeding season. Officials have since concluded this spat was likely over some food that was nearby. The breeding season for these animals usually starts in May or June.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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