Smokey Bear at the 4th of July parade in Capitan, New Mexico.
Image details
Contributor:
M L Pearson / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
AY58T4File size:
54.6 MB (1.7 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3508 x 5437 px | 29.7 x 46 cm | 11.7 x 18.1 inches | 300dpiLocation:
Capitan, New Mexico, USA, United States, AmericaMore information:
The living symbol of Smokey Bear was an American black bear cub who in the spring of 1950 was caught in the Capitan Gap fire, a wildfire that burned 17, 000 acres (69 km2) in the Lincoln National Forest, in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. Smokey had climbed a tree to escape the blaze, but his paws and hind legs had been burned. According to some stories, he was rescued by a game warden after the fire, but according to the New Mexico State Forestry Division, it was actually a group of soldiers from Fort Bliss, Texas, who had come to help fight the fire, that discovered the bear cub and brought him back to the camp. Upon his death on November 9, 1976, Smokey's remains were returned by the government to Capitan, New Mexico, and buried at what is now the Smokey Bear Historical Park. The plaque at his grave reads, "This is the resting place of the first living Smokey Bear...the living symbol of wildfire prevention and wildlife conservation."