Celebrate Smokey Bear's Birthday

In 1950, a major wildfire swept along the ground between trees in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. As rangers and fire crews battled the blaze, a lone bear cub was spotted wandering near the fire line. The little cub took refuge in a tree that was completely charred, and luckily he escaped with his life, but suffered badly burned paws and hind legs. A ranger and a rancher helped get the cub flown to Santa Fe where burns were treated and bandaged.

News of the little bear’s rescue spread across the nation. With reassurance from the Forest Service that the cub would be dedicated to a conservation and wildfire prevention publicity program, the living symbol of Smokey Bear found a new protected home in the National Zoo at Washington, D.C. Smokey lived until 1976 when he was returned for burial to the Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, NM. Smokey Bear lives on as a wildfire prevention legend.