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Man defends actions in Smokies bear incident

Man defends actions in Smokies bear incident

Posted: Friday, June 25, 2010 8:02 pm

KNOXVILLE (AP) — A Connecticut man charged in a Great Smoky Mountains National Park trail encounter with a bear that bit him said he doesn’t feel like he did anything wrong.
Records show Sean M. Konover of Wilton, Conn., has been charged with “willfully approaching” the bear in a way that caused the animal to be disturbed or displaced.
Konover was hiking the Laurel Falls Trail May 12 and tried to take a photo of the black bear that bit him on the left foot and later had to be euthanized.
Konover said in a telephone interview Thursday that he plans to consult a lawyer. He commended the park for “implementing their policies” but said he doesn’t believe he did anything wrong.
Konover said he is a recent college graduate, with a degree in environmental studies.
Published in The Messenger 6.25.10