Editing Smokey Bear (section)

=== Living Symbol ===
The living symbol of Smokey Bear was an American black bear cub found after the Capitan Gap fire in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico in 1950. The bear, originally called "Hotfoot Teddy," was renamed Smokey, after the character created for wildfire prevention a few years prior. Smokey had climbed a tree to escape the blaze but suffered burns on his paws and legs. Ranger Ray Bell and his family cared for the bear until it was offered to the U.S. Forest Service as a living symbol for wildfire prevention.

Smokey Bear was flown to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where he arrived on June 27, 1950, greeted by hundreds of spectators. Smokey lived at the zoo for 26 years, during which he received millions of visitors and over 13,000 letters a week, prompting the U.S. Postal Service to assign him his own ZIP Code (20252) in 1964. He became famous for his love of peanut butter sandwiches.

In 1962, Smokey was paired with a female bear named Goldie Bear, but they did not produce any offspring. Instead, another orphaned bear cub, "Little Smokey," was introduced in 1971 as their adopted son. Smokey officially "retired" in 1975, passing the title of Smokey Bear to Little Smokey. The original Smokey Bear died on November 9, 1976, and was buried in Capitan, New Mexico, at Smokey Bear Historical Park, where he remains a symbol of wildfire prevention.

Smokey's death was widely covered in the media, with obituaries published by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, among many others.