There’s always an assumption of risk when you stay in “Bear Country.”
It’s estimated that 340,000 bears live in the United States, and in certain parts of the country, residents have to always be on alert and keep an eye out for bruins. Black bears make up most of that total number (around 300,000), and one place where you are almost guaranteed to see them is in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
In the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the tourist destination known as Gatlinburg. Those that have been before know that there’s no better place to go look at mountain, stay in a cabin, eat pancakes, and get drunk off of moonshine tastings. Former Gatlinburg visitors also know there’s a good chance that you’ll cross paths with a black bear while you are there.
Bears tend to be pretty nosy creatures, and though they have been known to get violent when provoked (or if their cubs are messed with), they’re usually just trying to have a good time. And sometimes that means getting into a little trouble, in most cases because they are searching for food.
The Gatlinburg visitors in this video fell victim to black bear hijinks as they helplessly watched an intelligent bruin stand up beside their vehicle and open up the car door like it had done so 1,000 times before. One of the individuals staying at the cabin can be heard saying, “How is this real?” as the bruin entered into the car and began inspecting every part of it. At one point, it appears that the car owner opened up the back hatch of the vehicle remotely to encourage the black bear to climb out.
Let this be a lesson to keep your car locked (like everything else has to be) when you are in staying in a place that bears also call home. It looks like these Gatlinburg visitors got lucky and their car wasn’t damaged. The end of the video shows that the curious black bear had exited the vehicle and popped a squat near the fenced in porch of the cabin. Shoutout to these people for getting a good video while still staying far enough away from the surprise visitor.
Check it out:
@sidneyy.lamberson bro looks like he’s done this a time or two before but why’d i wanna pet him he was so chill & just wanted some food 🥺 #fyp #viralvideo #tennessee #blackbear #gatlinburg ♬ A Bar Song (Tipsy) – Shaboozey
