07/23/2025
We love our bears so much. They are just part of the allure of being in the Smokies. Unfortunately, a baby bear can find itself orphaned and in need of help. Appalachian Bear Rescue located in Townsend (by Cades Cove) will, thankfully, be back to doing what it does best, but needs help. Please consider joining us in donating or sharing so our baby bears can get the help that they so desperately need. 🐻
July 22, 2025: Cubs Forever Campaign
BUILDING NEW TOMORROWS - DONATE TODAY - https://appalachianbearrescue.org/cubs-forever-campaign/
Appalachian Bear Rescue and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency have reached an agreement that will allow the ABR mission to continue. The path forward to receive cubs again will require additional enclosure space and more renovations to the existing facility. Without this work, there are no good options available for injured and orphaned cubs in Tennessee. We are as committed to cubs now as we were when ABR was founded in 1996. We’ve cared for more than 425 cubs to date, and we ask you to stand with us to continue that commitment for the next 30 years and beyond. Your support for the Cubs Forever Campaign will build new tomorrows for cubs in need.
You’ve shared a tough year with us at Appalachian Bear Rescue. We haven’t received bear cubs since we had resident bears become sick with pneumonia in December 2024. We will not receive cubs until we build two new enclosures and study the soil in our existing enclosures. Without our rescue facility in operation, there are no good options for injured and orphaned cubs in Tennessee. We urgently ask for your support as we renovate and grow our bear facility so that we can receive cubs again and continue our mission. With your generous support, we will do everything possible to ensure our bear facility is ready and available for future cubs in need.
While we are renovating our bear facility, our existing enclosures remain closed. To reopen these enclosures, we must first conduct an independent soil study. Results from the study will evaluate the parasitic load in the soil and inform our decisions about future soil treatment protocols. In addition to the soil study, new veterinary and operational requirements recently mandated by the State of Tennessee, require us to double the amount of outdoor enclosure space available for rehabilitation. Twice the enclosure space will allow us to care for the same number of cubs we’ve helped in years past. New guidelines require us to build two additional 1-acre enclosures. Additional enclosure space will allow us to house cubs in smaller groups that more closely resemble the group size of bear families in the wild. The cost for the soil study and building two new enclosures, along with general upkeep throughout the rest of the year, is estimated to be $685,000.
Until we complete these projects, there are no other options for injured and orphaned bear cubs in Tennessee. Please join us as we kick off our Cubs Forever Campaign. With your generosity and compassion for cubs, we will build new tomorrows for future cubs in need. Please join our staff tomorrow during Facebook Live to ask any questions you might have.
