A black bear spotted in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A black bear searches for food along the Tennessee border at Newfound Gap on May 11, 2018 near Cherokee, North Carolina. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the Tennessee and North Carolina borders in the heart of the Appalachian Mountain Range.
George Rose/Getty Images
  • A Tennessee teen was attacked by a bear during a camping trip at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
  • The 16-year-old was sleeping in a hammock when the bear attacked.
  • Park rangers shot and killed the bear shortly after the incident.
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A Tennessee teen was attacked by a bear early Friday morning while she was sleeping in a hammock during a backpacking trip.

The unnamed 16-year-old and her family were on campgrounds in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when the black bear attacked shortly after midnight, WBIR-TV and Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

The family was able to get the bear to leave their campsite, but the teen suffered body injuries, including cuts to her head, according to the reports.

She was flown by helicopter to the hospital by Tennessee Army National Guard around 9 a.m.Two bears were near the campsite after the incident and the family was able to point out the bear responsible for the attack. The reports said park officials shot and killed the bear, the outlets reported.

Tests determined that there was blood on the bear, the reports said.

"While serious incidents with bears are rare, we remind visitors to remain vigilant while in the backcountry and to follow all precautions while hiking in bear country," Cassius Cash, the park's superintendent, said in a statement, according to the reports. "The safety of visitors is our No. 1 priority."

According to the reports, the teen is in stable condition.

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