Ship to Canada
Ship to USA
by Elmer Prather, guest blogger
The puzzle pictured below is the 39th Cobble Hill puzzle that I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is titled Twice The Love by Denis Mayer Jr. He named this painting, “Twice the Love” because the mother bear depicted in the puzzle has to give her love to two babies and when you see her, you will sense this gentle love. He noted that you will also sense the fierce power that is so obvious in her size and her claws, for if attacked she will be prepared to defend her cubs to the death. Today the mother will keep the cubs close by; tomorrow she will let them roam further afield as they grow more and more able to fend for themselves. The reason I chose this puzzle was because the bears reminded me of the black bears I have seen in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Twice the Love 1000 piece puzzle assembled by Elmer Prather
There are approximately
1500 black bears in the park. Many of them call the area around Cades Cove
their home. Cades Cove has an eleven mile one way loop road circling the cove
valley. On some of the drives I have taken through Cades Cove, I have seen
bears, wild turkeys, coyotes, deer and other wildlife. Along the loop road
you will pass three churches, a working grist mill, barns, log homes, and many
other faithfully restored 18th and 19th Century
structures.
Black bears love this area because of the vast food sources. They are omnivores and there is an abundant supply of berries and nuts for them to eat. In the fall when the acorns are ripe the bears will climb up into the oak trees and feast on the nuts. Gorging on the acorns ensures their storing enough fat to carry them through their winter hibernation.
Black bears usually have a fear of humans but in Cades Cove they have become acclimated to humans and they usually just continue eating in the fields around the cove as we drive by. Many times when a tourist sees a bear they will stop and take pictures. This causes what is called a “bear jam”, resulting in the Park Rangers being called to get the crowd moving again on the narrow one way road.
Below you will find a picture of a collage of some of the photos I have taken of bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Collage of black bears in Cades Cove photographed by Elmer Prather
As I stated earlier, black bears are omnivores and there have been several documented cases of bears attacking humans, however those are rare occasions. During the many times that I have visited Cades Cove I have witnessed several close calls where a tourist has gotten between the mother bear and her cubs. When this happens the mother bear becomes protective and does whatever it takes to ensure that her cubs are safe. Sometimes this includes lunging at the person between her and the cubs. This usually sends a message to the tourist to get back into their car quickly.
Black bears are beautiful, graceful animals that usually mind their own business, which for the female is taking care of their cubs and foraging for food.