Go wild at Ober Gatlinburg
By Stephanie Edwards
What started out as a place for Smoky Mountain visitors to see black bears, has evolved into an expansive Wildlife Encounter.Ober Gatlinburg added the Municipal Black Bear Habitat to their unique attraction in 1981. Due to the popularity of this exhibit, more and more animals have been added to Ober Gatlinburg’s Wildlife Encounter.
The attraction recently unveiled its newest part of the exhibit, “Birds of Prey.”
These new Ober Gatlinburg residents include the Barred Owl, a.k.a. the “Hoot Owl”; the Great Horned Owl, Peregrine Falcon and a Golden Eagle.
The majestic Golden Eagle has a wingspan of up to six feet and preys on animals as small as rabbits and as large as sheep.
The Barred Owl is one of the few species that feeds on skunks, and its call is rumored as sounding like the phrase, “Who, who cooks for you?”
The Peregrine Falcon is one of the world’s fastest birds, and it preys on other birds, some as large as ducks.
All of the birds were obtained by the American Eagle Foundation as a result of injury or illness and are non-releasable. After being treated, the foundation donated the birds to Ober Gatlinburg.
“It’s been quite an effort getting everything together. We called on expertise from all around — the Knoxville, Chattanooga and Atlanta zoos — to make sure the environments were as natural as possible,” said Lisa Hayes Ecklund, who has been curator at the Wildlife Encounter since 1993.
In addition to bears and birds, Wildlife Encounter guests can expect to see three North American River Otters in their underwater home and racoons, skunks, squirrels, an opposum, reptiles, turles, non-venomous snakes and amphibians, which live in the Nocturnal House.
Ober Gatlinburg, of course, is best known for its skiing and snowboarding, which typically runs mid December through early March, depending on the weather.
Other activities include ice skating, tubing and family amusements.
To get to Ober Gatlinburg, you can turn at Traffic Light #9 on the Parkway in Downtown Gatlinburg, find a space in the attraction’s parking lot and ride the Aerial Tramway. For more information, visit www.obergatlinburg.com.
