MR 0459 0458 A group of children meet Smokey Bear in Ruidoso, New Mexico.

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Smokey Bear (often unofficially referred to as Smokey the Bear, also simply referred to as Smokey) is a mascot of the United States Forest Service created to educate the public about the dangers of forest fires. 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 living symbol of wildfire prevention and wildlife conservation."

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Size: 3508px × 5390px
Location: Ruidoso, New Mexico, USA, United States, America
Photo credit: © M L Pearson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: Yes

Keywords: america, bear, children, education, kids, mexico”, ruidoso, smokey, southwest, tourism, travel, usa, west, “