Nature often manages to correct itself, which is exactly what this video out of the Smoky Mountain of Tennessee depicts.
Any outdoorsman knows that the invasive wild hog species is causing a number of problems in the United States and Canada. That’s why in most of the country, it’s always open season for feral hogs, and why you sometimes see clips of people shooting large packs of them with automatic weapons while flying in helicopters.
And this bear in the Smoky Mountains National Park must have known that the feral pigs are becoming an issue as well, considering that it did its part in bringing one of them down. Much like the 2007 film of the same name with Tim Allen and John Travolta, wild hogs is/are horrible and should’ve been stopped before they even got started.
Back in March of 2021, these Gatlinburg visitors stumbled upon quite the scene, which was playing out just off the side of the road heading into the tourist-friendly town. As they pulled up in their vehicle, they first thought it was a black bear attacking a smaller bear, or even a bear cub.
However, once they got closer and came to a stop, they realized that the bruin was actually battling with a wild hog, and was giving the invasive animal all it could handle. In the beginning, the feral pig is doing its best to still get away, but the bear isn’t letting that happen and continues to attack and attempt to drag “pork dinner” up the hill.
The hog snorts and squeals as it tries to fend off the black bear, though it really didn’t stand a chance against the apex predator. As the tourists look on, the fight for survival ensues for a good 10 minutes, with the bear eventually “taking care” of pig and appearing to immobilize it.
While the bear and the hog were battling, many cars along the road came to a standstill, which appears to scare the bruin towards the end of the video. As the 10-minute clip concludes, the black bear is seen retreating up the hill away from the hog. It can be assumed that once the cars started to move again, the bear probably came back down to retrieve its kill.
For some, this video might be hard to watch. For others who feel very passionately about controlling invasive species populations, you’ll probably enjoy watching nature do its thing
The Smoky Mountains are home to around 2,000 black bears, and we know at least one of them is helping fight off the growing population of feral hogs. And rightfully so, considering that the invasive species often eat foods that are a part of a bear’s regular diet.
