Find the answer to this question when you visit Black Bear Falls, a multi-level exhibit bringing visitors as close as they should get to a black bear. The three-fourths of an acre, open-air exhibit houses the zoo's five black bears and is designed to simulate the Smoky Mountains.

Special Features: 40-foot log tunnel visitors can walk into to see the exhibit and bear dens Water pool with glass for visitors to watch the bears swim Natural-looking trees Flowing stream Four Tumbling waterfalls, each with more than a 20-foot drop Bear dens with visitor viewing portals Misters in the East Tennessee Plaza

About the Bears:

Knoxville Zoo has one female, Ursula, and three males, Feeber, Otis and Alvin. At least two bears are in Black Bear Falls for visitor viewing.

Otis and Alvin, both 2 years old, arrived at Knoxville Zoo in May 2001. They were both orphaned black bears and have been raised together since they were young. Both are very active when in Black Bear Falls.

Ursula, an orphaned bear cub, is the newest bear to join Knoxville Zoo's family. Ursula was found by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency at a young age and will never be able to be reintroduced into the wild. Knoxville Zoo staff are working with the cub to introduce her to the zoo's other black bears.

Learn more about Knoxville Zoo's black bears!

Tips when Visiting:

Take a few minutes to discover the exhibit from three viewing areas. Bears like to relax during the heat of the day and find shade for napping, so visitors often have to look hard to find them. The exhibit is a network of trees and branches, so don't be surprised if one is resting on a branch or playing in one of the three pools.