The success of the "Bambi" poster proved to the Council that it was worth promoting another animal as its conservation symbol. On August 9, 1944, the first poster of Smokey Bear pouring a bucket of water on a campfire was introduced (see fig. 2). On May 9, 1950, in New Mexico a five pound bear cub was discovered clinging to a tree in the midst of a raging forest fire in New Mexico's Capitan Mountains. A group of soldiers rescued him and turned him over to Ray Bell, the game warden. The cub was taken to Santa Fe and was treated by veterinarian, Dr. Ed Smith. The cub was photographed with Dr. Smith's daughter and quickly captured the hearts of America (see fig. 3). The rescued cub, briefly named, "HotFoot Teddy" became "the living symbol" of the Smokey Bear campaign. Once recovered, Smokey was sent to the National Zoo in Washington, DC. By 1952, the campaign had enough public recognition to place Smokey Bear under the control of the Secretary of Agriculture. Smokey lived at the zoo until 1976 when he passed away. He is buried in a small park in the heart of his birthplace, the Village of Capitan (www.emnrd.state.nm.us).
The Ad Council used print media and "the living symbol" to raise public awareness of environmental issues and to save the lives of all creatures. They used the media to teach and inspire rather than to conceal truth (Goldman, 55). In doing so, the campaign helped to reduce the destruction of our forests by wildfires from 22 million acres to less than 8.4 million acres per year since the campaign began (www.adcouncil.org). They acted as Plato's noble lover would have; "He is the conveyor and preserver of truth and morality" (Goldman, 55).
Smokey Bear's "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires," slogan was received and memorized by children and adults alike. Today, children learn, "Only You Can Prevent Wild Fires!" This change occurred in 2001 when the Ad Council felt a need to address the growing number of wildfires in the nation's wild lands (www.