Wildlife in The Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers beautiful views and historic buildings when coming to the area. However, another thing the Smoky Mountains offer is a chance to see nature’s wildlife up close and personal.

The wildlife in the area is protected by strict federal laws and regulations and many visitors coming to the area do not realize this. Most of the visitors in the area know that it is illegal to feed the wildlife but there are still so many that do not understand that disturbing park wildlife is a federal violations Getting too close to wildlife, feeding, touching, teasing and frightening wildlife are strictly prohibited inside the park. If anyone breaks these violations fines and arrests can occur. The laws that protect park wildlife can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations.

The best thing to do to prevent this from happening is know the rules and warning signs when you become to close to a wild animal. Always know and understand that if do approach an animal too quickly its behavior will begin to change. If you do happen to get too close to the park’s wildlife then slowly move away from the animal until you reach a distance that is makes the animal feel more safe. Usually you will know when an animal feels safe again because it will start to resume any previous activity.

How do you see an animal that is at a distance? Well, feel free to bring along binoculars and cameras to help you enjoy wildlife just a little closer. Actually being able to see a wild animal is usually a difficult task. Since most of the Great Smoky Mountains are covered by dense forest area, animals tends to enjoy feeding in those areas where the foliage thrives.

If you are in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park you may want to make a visit to Cades Cove. Cades Cove offers plenty of open fields where you can enjoy seeing plenty of deer, black bear, raccoon, turkeys and other various wildlife animals. The road that takes you through Cades Cove allows you to travel at a sightseeing pace that offers many chances to see wild animals in their natural habitat and to take a look at all the historic buildings that were established in the Smoky Mountains and Cades Cove.

The time of year and time of day that you come to the park will also determine the amount of wildlife you see. In the fall and winter months, when leaves have fallen most animals are easier to see. It is also important to remember that animals are most active at night so it is easier to get a view of them in the early morning and evening hours. When driving through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park remember to look up in the trees. It is known that many bears like to sit and enjoy watching cars go by.

Remember to have fun, look for wild life, and enjoy the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains.