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.”
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Too bad for this bear that we live in his backyard, that's not going to change. Relocating a bear who either killed or attacked a person won't work, there are people everywhere now. Even at our cabin in the middle of nowhere there was a bear on the porch 3 days ago. Bears roam and rarely stay where you want them to, and will encounter someone at some point. Would you want this bear to pop-up at your child's bus stop? Or at the grocery store parking lot early in morning while your putting your food in the car? Neither situation would be good. He has to be euthanized. If a bear does not naturally avoid people he's a problem, and sometimes it's our fault by not keeping trash put away, or making enough noise on the trail. Doesn't matter either way, the bear will pay the price if the encounter goes wrong. Some people are just stupid and do the most idiotic things like getting to close to bison, etc. A lot of tv shows give people the impression that wild animals aren't that dangerous, wrong. Perfect example, Treadwell in Alaska walking openly among brown bears in their habitat, not only got himself killed but his girlfriend as well. Terribly irresponsible TV, you would think people would realize that was a bad idea but they put it on TV anyway. Bears don't care if your 5 year old is picking blackberries on her first hike with Mom and Dad, or you're poaching ginseng, if bear is in bad mood or wants your berries you could die. Plain and simple. We are ultimately responsible for our own personal safety and our childrens. You take a risk when you drive a car, walk in the woods, bring home a giant python, or a cute little pit bull puppy for your kids. If the pit bull mauls or heaven forbid, kills your child, the dog dies, same for the bear. You can't take the chance. Rangers don't kill bears because they want too, sometimes they have no choice. It could be your kid next time, then you want to blame them for not doing something.
There are monsters in the woods. Everything that eats meat will eat you if it gets hungry, even ants! Take protection and another guy with protection, then a third guy with a freaken gun you dummies. Bears, bucks, wolves, boar, mountain lions, and more are out to get easy food, or just keep their families safe. If they don't get you, the real monsters will, people. Don't be a dummie, you'll wind up in a critters tummy!
While the actions of this individual was not inside the law, it was not an act that warrants the heartless, animal loving comments or suggestions that man step down in all ways for animals. As stated in many articles through the years the park service or wildlife agencies do not have to euthanize very many wild creatures and if they do it is for the concern for human life. The bear population has grown in leaps and bounds over the last decade with success through management efforts of government agencies as well as hunting and hunters contributions! In all of the encounters between Humans and bears here in Tennessee most are at a distance and with no consequence except for the one in a million bear that has no fear. This will mostly occur in the park where people treat them like dogs who wouldn't hurt a fly yet almost unheard of in areas where they respect people due to hunting. To say that all people should be treated criminally for entering the woods is an uneducated opinion of a dreamer and one who seems to prefer the lives of an animal over a human. To me that is inhuman!
If humans should be allowed in the woods?
common sense?!!!!? His death was justified?
please don't have children..... some people live in the outdoors!
I will be the first to sign the petition to protect the bears. Humans were given the god given gift of common sense and thought. Start using these gifts.
I agree, there should be training before people go into go camping at a minimum. That wouldn't have helped this bear....
AS DEMAND FOR GINSENG SOARS
BY CARRIE ARNOLD 11 OCTOBER 2016
AS DEMAND FOR GINSENG SOARS, POACHERS THREATEN ITS SURVIVAL
A handful of park rangers and conservationists are trying to protect the valuable and wild root from extinction.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/people/as-demand-for-ginseng-soars...
m13cli, if you've not yet had the chance, take a walk through china town in a major city like new York, San Francisco or Chicago. It is fascinating to go into one of the stores that sells ginseng and see the various prices based on quality, age etc. Not to mention the huge variety of other herbal remedies. As far as going extinct they must be talking about wild ginseng because it is commercially grown on farms quite successfuly (and profitably).