Wrong Bear Euthanized Following Ohio Teen Attack at Smokies

Parker Rangers at the Smoky Great Mountains received a shock on Tuesday when they realized the DNA results of the bear that was euthanized for seriously injuring a teenager did not match with those of the bear that attacked him.

Sixteen year Gabriel Alexander sustained grievous injuries when he was pulled from his hammock by the bear while camping at the park with his father.  

The rangers collected bear saliva and hair from the victim’s belongings and also set up an action to clear the area.

The next day, biologists shot at a bear near campsite 84 but it managed to escape and officials were not sure if it was injured.

A bear was later caught on June 8 through a culvert trap and then euthanized by the officials. They also a collected a DNA sample and when compared with earlier results, the bears turned out to be two different males.

“Due to the extreme seriousness of the bear attack and threat to human safety, we responded swiftly to secure the safety of hikers in the backcountry,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “Though extremely rare and regrettable, we recognize that an uninvolved bear was euthanized through this process and we will be examining new procedures that may allow us to quickly use DNA analysis to correctly identify bears responsible for predatory attacks in the future.”

The park staff have closed a portion of the park where the attack happened and are still conducting extensive search efforts.