East Tennessee tourists were witness to a rare sight on Tuesday: in a brawl played out on a roadside between Cades Cove (part of Great Smokey Mountains National Park) and Gatlinburg, TN, a black bear got the best of a wild boar.
After a struggle that lasted more than 10 minutes, the bear walked away from the badly mangled wild hog, apparently waiting for it to die before returning to to feed on it.
Native black bears are a common sight in the area, frequently spotted on roadway and trails in and around the park, and even rummaging through garbage in nearby Gatlinburg. Feral hogs, a non-native species introduced in the wake of European settlement, have multiplied and become an increasing nuisance in the region in recent years. So while sightings of the two animals are not all uncommon, such a dramatic confrontation between the two species is a rare sight indeed.
Eastern black bears are formidable beasts, and can attain sizes in excess of 500 pounds. While their diet consists of vegetation for the most part – acorns and other wild nuts, roots, grasses, insect larvae, and wild honey – they are formidable predators when the opportunity presents itself.
Feral hogs, while not predatory animals, can nevertheless attain large size and are frequently aggressive toward humans.
Both black bears and feral hogs are dangerous creatures and should never be approached when encountered in the wild.
WARNING: Some viewers may find the following video disturbing.
Source: Facebook