Little Smokey

foreign [Music] way back there come on up here [Music] legged friend of mine no I don't mean copper back there this happened a while back in the beautiful Capitan Mountain Country of New Mexico on the Lincoln National Forest [Music] good time on the Capitan dry and hot but still nice and peaceful all the animals in the forest were having a grand old time in the sunshine of spring [Music] there was one little three-month-old fellow in particular who didn't have a care in the world he was spending his time having fun a growling and a prowling Anna scratching [Music] that's right their Cub didn't have a care in the world and somebody a two-legged somebody got careless [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you it took several hundred men five days to lick that fire 17 000 Acres of Timber were destroyed Timber that could have been used for homes and furniture along with the Mills that could have turned it out [Music] a lot of wild animals lost their home many lost their lives [Music] but there was one little fellow who somehow survived that terrible fire yes the little bear cup came through he was found clinging to what was left of a small tree [Music] Bell rust that burned and frightened cop to the nearest animal hospital by plane foreign Bell saw to it that he was given the best of care [Music] his burn feet responded to treatment it his hair grew back and with his little belly full of good food he grew fast and Sassy [Music] they named him a little smokey and in a special Piper cup plane took him on another trip by air foreign [Applause] this time it was clear across the country over America's Farms factories and cities finally little smokies playing Landon and Washington our nation's capital here along with his official escort New Mexico's assistant State game warden Homer C Pickens little Smokey was greeted in the rain by a very enthusiastic committee [Music] Chief Forester Lyle Watts accepted little Smokey as a gift to the state Foresters and Uncle Sam's forest service from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish but for our little hero that welcome in the rain was only the beginning of a new and very worthwhile life on the first sunny day little Smokey was presented to the National Zoo in Washington and became a living symbol of forest fire prevention the kids went for the whole idea like a bear goes for honey and little smokies seemed to like the new setup too [Music] was really a big occasion Senator Chavez of New Mexico was there to welcome his former constituents to his home in the zoo foreign Foresters joined in dedicating the life of little Smokey to the school children of America to serve as an honest to goodness reminder of the danger of forest fires and the need to save our forests and Wildlife from destruction by fire [Music] you're probably wondering if little Smokey has lived up to all the fine things that were planned for him you can take my word for it he has you see I had a personal invitation to visit little Smokey a while back [Music] of course he's kind of a big Smokey now a year or so will do that to a bear I was mighty glad to see him and I soon learned that I wasn't the only one that smokey is a famous character all right you sure like the origins I brought him but I do that for any forest fire preventing pal [Music] I hate forest fires worse than all this diamondback rattlesnakes in the world that's why I've tried to do my little bit toward preventing them I guess that's why the forestry boys were on hand too and why they gave me a special certificate making me an honorary for a spring that really made me proud because it put me right on Smokey's team of course Smokey had to check the document to see if it was genuine and scratches seal of approval on it on that trip I learned just how much good smoke you've done in preventing man-caused forest fires mostly as a model for those car cards and posters you see most everywhere Smokey and his important message sure get around on nail trucks along the city streets [Music] in the buses and trolley cars in the woods why even in the comics [Music] and now there's a song about Smokey the school children all over this great country of ours can sing and take to heart [Music] tomorrow foreign [Music] [Music] can do [Music] that without his name Smokey the Bear a living reminder to all of us today of the need to protect our forests and Wildlife for the good of all those who follow us in the future [Music] [Applause] thank you [Music] well that's the story of Smokey Bear your friend and mine but Smoky needs our help so let's all be careful of fires in the forest always and remember only we you and I can prevent forest fires so long for now partners [Music] [Applause] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you