Black bears from Great Smoky Mountains National Park entering houses for food

Shortage of food is driving the starving black bears from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into nearby residential neighborhoods and tourist areas. The beasts are climbing up condominium balconies, crawling onto a school campus and breaking into vehicles. This is because the animals are not finding enough food in their own habitat, hence they are venturing into human territories.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 11 November 2015.

As revealed by a spokesman of the park, food is very scarce this year. Their favorite foods are wild cherries, acorns, hickory nuts and walnuts and these are in short supply this season. This happens to be a periodic problem usually attributed to weather patterns. Hence, the bears are driven to hunt in more precarious spots like garbage cans, barbecue grills and bird feeders.
The National Park Service has issued necessary alerts instructing visitors to stay away and has temporarily shut certain roads to protect the public and allow the bears to feed in their natural habitat.
Incidentally, at this time of the year, the park's roughly 1500 bears fill up on food before bedding down for the winter and, some of them are known to travel more than 160-Km from home to find a meal.

(Image source wikimediacommons.org)

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It’s time to go nuts over nuts because they are a healthy option

Till recently, nuts were usually something to be avoided because of their high fat content. But, the thinking has changed because dietitians are now insisting that it is necessary to consume more of the unsaturated fats they contain. These can help prevent blood clotting and maintain a regular heart rhythm.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 18 May 2015.

Nuts are believed to be healthier because they are mostly sold in a relatively natural state and there is an array of exotic varieties to choose from. These also have a reputation as a classy snack option that is on offer in five-star hotels and on private jets.
Other benefits of nuts are the positive effect they have on appetite due to their high protein content. This makes people feel fuller and helps curb hunger. Pistachios are the most popular nut, followed by cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamias and chestnuts. Some do not consider peanuts in the category because, these are technically not nuts but are a type of vegetable.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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