GATLINBURG TN: BEAR/HUMAN PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION WITH VISITORS IS ON THE RISE And How to Stay Safe!

Physical contact between bears and humans is on the rise. Find out what you can do to be "Bear Aware" and keep your family, and the bears safe on your next Smokies trip.
Sources:
Wate 6 Knoxville
WBIR Knoxville
National Park Service
Zackskepticon (TikTok)
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[@Countryside24]

This is heartbreaking 💔 for the bears. They keep building in their territory.

[@raymondparsons902]

Just got back from Gatlinburg last night, we had Bears in the parking lot of the hotel 4 out of 5 days. They are everywhere downtown.

[@AriaIsara]

And people aren't dying from it. Yet authorities will want to euthanize these bears. This is maddening.

[@blessed7927]

Yep and stupid men were walking towards the bear with cameras 📷 really close and just insane

[@rebeccaw68]

Thank you for this video. I come to the Smokies often and have never really seen a bear up close. All content creators should make this kind of video. I hate when people refuse to follow rules that could endanger these animals. I will be sharing this video.

[@TampaAerialMedia]

A much needed video to educate the tourists...great content Eric

[@YaYaPaBla]

If they’ll even watch it and abide by the rules.

[@derekk6906]

A little advice…. If you have a Bear getting too close for comfort at your Cabin and Vehicle, Use your Key Fob to get it to back off so you can watch from a safe distance. Hit the lock button repeatedly first to make the horn sound, if the bear is still too close then hit the red panic button. We seldom have to use the Red panic alarm, the horn alone will make them back off. So much more effective than ruining pots and pans banging them together.

[@michaelstrong3634]

Heads up that don't always work. Just happened to us

[@user-zb1zp7nv5k]

Now I understand why they call it bear country. At our air bnb, everyday we saw a mama bear and her cubs roaming and climbing trees right in Gatlinburg. We always kept our distance of course did not feed them. Gods creation is beautiful.

[@Debra.Justice]

Thank you for trying to educate the many ignorant people that ruin the national parks for everyone. These are wild animals, not teddy bears. Their sense of smell is incredible so they will be drawn to restaurants and outdoor eating areas looking for food. This reminds me of the fools in Yellowstone that try to pet bison and elk. Leave the animals alone. We are visitors in their home. Respect them and enjoy them at a distance. I live in Knoxville and we are seeing more and more bears in the city. There is so much habitat loss and human encroachment, the animals are being forced into close contact with people. It’s just sad the damage humans are causing to the environment.

[@tracyjohnson5023]

I'm in Greeneville and same seeing bears in town. Result of so many dang people moving here in droves and posting no hunting signs everywhere. Then we have the trapped nuisance bears from gatlinburg being released into the bear sanctuary area of Cherokee national forest where they ransack tents, cars and aren't at all afraid of people. Not the bears fault, but they can kill a person easily.

[@MamaBearsCookingandAdventures]

Thank you very much for this video. A few days ago I came out on our back porch and there was a young bear up on the rail. Buddy's "protecting " and the bear is swatting at him. All I could do is scream and try to convince the bear to leave. I learned a lot from that experience. I thought since the porch is about 25 to 30 ft off the ground it was safe. We never eat out there. We don't even own a grill. I guess he's been on a porch that does. I installed a new camera to cover the pilings...I have it on now when ever I'm out there. I feel very thankful and blessed that everything turned out okay.

[@Phoenixforce75]

I totally agree with the warning of not feeding or engaging with bears of the GSM. However, I think that you're missing some of the point of the problem they're having with bears in the area. Bears are going to smell the food REGARDLESS of if they've been fed or not and if they smell it they're going to come looking for it. And as everyone knows Gatlinburg is full of food so this problem isn't going anywhere. One criticism I have of how Gatlinburg deals with this is a few years ago I saw that they had put fodder shocks on the lamp posts along the main thoroughfare. Seems like a great decoration for autumn but the corn was still on the stalks! The city basically set out lures along the street for the bears. So it's more than just the visitors being irresponsible about the bears for sure.

[@AriaIsara]

Precisely. The food is there anyway. That's why bears SHOULD be fed. This is common sense. We throw away tons of food still eatable for animals. It should be placed in feeding stations for animals. Attacks are rare and most of them aren't predatory but still a fed bear is obviously less likely to try to attack you. And feeding stations on the outskirts = bears less likely to roam the streets. And that's less waste on our part.

[@janewasson4845]

We had a bear, not much older than a cub below our deck, and you knew Mama had to be nearby. People in the next cabin were throwing bacon to it, and running out in the yard to take pictures. Mike and l wished for a heavy duty slingshot. People are dumb enough out at Yellowstone. We don't need wildlife put down in G burg, too. Thanks, Eric!

[@YaYaPaBla]

They are trying to adapt to the changes in their natural habitat.

[@longislandfoodtastic]

Last Halloween eve in our Gatlinburg resort, we picked up 8 bags of candy for trick or treating in town. I got out of the car and turned a corner in our parking garage, me and a bear met face to face. He ran in the opposite direction when I was screaming to my bf to stay in the car with the bags. Thank God I wasn't holding the bags of candy!

[@dhigdon0629]

I am so Thankful you are Addressing this Very Important Issue. We have seen people on KZbin feeding the bears and filming it. I called the Tennessee Wildlife center and they told me it is Not illegal to feed the bears if they are Not in the National Park. I Pray this changes so we can save the bears and humans. Thank You for Sharing

[@claudedalton8970]

I DON'T THINK THEY CAN MONITOR ALL OF THE GATLINBURG/PIGEON FORGE AREA. POLICE CAN'T EITHER. IT'S THE *PEOPLE THAT BREAK THE LAWS!* *TOO MANY BEARS ARE ALLOWED TO POPULATE!* THEY ARE EVERYWHERE IN OTHER STATES AND TOWNS, NOT JUST GATLINBURG. THIN THE HERD!

[@davebryant8050]

The all mighty tourist dollar rules this pathetic country.

[@AriaIsara]

It should not be illegal to feed bears. The problem here is authorities euthanizing bears who haven't attacked anyone. Crazy how people like you don't see that.

[@dhigdon0629]

@@AriaIsara What is Crazy is people like You can’t See that Bears and WILD animals. They should NOT be fed by ANYONE other than what their natural instincts afford them. They should Not become comfortable with humans and when humans feed them that’s what happens and people can get hurt even killed

[@shareenj.2602]

I think it's great you posted this to educate people who will be visiting. To be honest I can't imagine people should need to be educated. It's pretty cleat to me not to go near a wild animal. It takes common sense and most people any more are lacking that. God bless you both 😊

[@gregrumbaugh4855]

Excellent video and great information my granddaughter and I were in a close bear encounter. We slowly moved back to give her space while keeping pur eyes in contact with the bear, it went on its merry way.

[@kimellis4815]

Eric Thank you so much for doing this I along with many others diffently want to enjoy the bears for years to come.

[@living4christistheonlyway403]

I work in Gatlinburg. I Love it. I talk to many of people who seen them.

[@bubbascruise]

Great job educating people on what to do as people. It seems like people go crazy when they see a bear especially at cades cove

[@catherineanderson8820]

Thanks for sharing ... everyone needs to view this.... people don't understand how dangerous it can be to be that close to a bear... at my work place...a black bear was at the front door entrance trying to get inside the building.....alot of people were getting close to take pictures and some were even wanting to pet it ...not the thing to do....😮

[@olafpamela]

Thank you for this video 👍🏻 We was going to our rental cabin, several years ago, we saw a car stopped and watch them dump food, on the ground,for a bear.😲👎🏻 We was leaving the rental cabin, we saw a couple of bears across road, feeding on berries, when we was getting in our car😲 This is very serious and people need to remember the bears are WILD ANIMALS not a pet😢 Thanks for sharing 🤗

[@janmcguire5268]

Excellent information! Thank you!

[@themodernwoodsman1199]

We saw 9 bears in 2 days

[@braceyourselfchannel]

JFC! That bear in the concession stand was no joke! Glad that woman didn’t have any serious injuries, that’s scary. Thanks for putting this video out, great information guys!

[@MyDadWasALifeguard]

Not really that bear is about 2 years old and harmless …unless you spook it..which wouldn’t have happened had the kitchen door been closed

[@vickieengland7947]

thanks for sharing the video…

[@frankcastle3971]

Here is Massachusetts last week the schools were on lockdown because of black bears around the neighborhood. People don't understand how dangerous they can be if they get to close to them. It's very important you guys covered this issue but we all know there's still people who will try and go up to it and try to pet it.

[@helenguilford7510]

Great informative video.

[@jjsadventures]

So unfortunate for these beautiful animals. I have shared your video out. I know people will do what they want but I feel that every visitor to the national park should watch a video explaining bear behavior before being able to enter the park. Thank you for sharing this video.

[@taraw3063]

The state must charge feeding a bear as felony,with jail time.

[@taraw3063]

@@user-zr4vv3ps4e felony. Hit someone in wallet too

[@growinggenerationshomestea516]

There is already a law....it's hard to catch people.

[@pcanada48]

Very good suggestions. But, last year just outside Pigeon Forge my wife and I were loading our SUV to leave a cabin rental. We were confronted by a bear in the back of our SUV. There was no food. And, just my luck my bear spray was in the center console. We raised our arms, screamed and yelled and I threw 2 separate 1 liter bottles of water at him. He just looked at us like we were crazy. He stood his ground. After several minutes I had the opportunity to retrieve my bear spray. That scared the bear away with one small squirt. The spray did not make it to his face. I suspect he had faced the spray before.

[@derekk6906]

Red panic button on Key Fob, scares the crap out of them and they leave.

[@AriaIsara]

The bear wasn't doing anything aggressive and you started screaming and making gestures, so yes it looked at you like you were crazy.

[@pcanada48]

@@AriaIsara Every time I tried to move toward my SUV the bear would start toward me. Have you ever had a bear come toward you? He would not let me close to my car. Is that aggressive enough for you?

[@AriaIsara]

@@pcanada48 you only mentioned the bear standing there in your 1st comment... and *you're the one* who said he looked at you as if you were crazy, but now you're upset because I basically replied "duh"...

[@pcanada48]

@@AriaIsara no, I’m not upset. The fact is you’re making assumptions and you were not there. That’s OK friend.

[@christycleary216]

Thank you for this information. Everyone needs to view this!!

[@michelb.8953]

I think the bear just wanted to be the mascot for the Bearskin Lodge. Yep, don't feed the bears or get too close. I saw a guy walk way out in the field at Cades Cove to a mother and cubs and he got chased. He didn't look to brave running for his live. They say don't run, but that was the only choice he had. And for families visiting, remember to stay in a group on the trails and don't allow your kids to run ahead of you or way behind you. That very thing caused fatalities for one family. As far as I know, they don't post the death by bears in the park, like they do the deaths in the Little River.

[@G5coat1]

Yes, brother. Preach. Humans need to chill and realize the best way to protect wildlife (both animals and plants) just leave them the smell alone.

[@froggalb1000]

This was a great video. I wish everyone could have known Gatlinburg back in the 1960’s. It was a beautiful place to be. Not all the commercialism and the people were much more respectful of the animals and each other in general. Gatlinburg has turned into a place that is only interested in making money. And with all the new attractions and restaurants I think the bear problem is only going to get worse. So very sad!

[@derekk6906]

You are spot on. They are marketing the are to those only interested in the Carnival attractions, not those looking to connect with nature. Feeding the bears at rental cabins is like feeding the goats, part of their carnival experience.

[@Commentleaver-c6x]

It has been massively overdeveloped. Any square inch where some millionaire developer can build a cabin, there is one.

[@deborahwalker306]

People make me aggravated! Knowing they should not feed the animals, told not to feed the animals! It’s the human element that causes problems!

[@taradalmatianshaver6828]

Scary!!

[@trueloveingod2691]

I live in one of the rare, non-urban parts of the country where there are no bears. I love and am fascinated by them, but would never feel comfortable with them around, they’re unpredictable.

[@pattybrockman8561]

Bears have more rights than people

[@IShallNotBeSilent]

I just left the smokey's two days ago visiting my mother. With everything that has changed, I feel they are starting to close the park down from any humans. They are Not using the money from those parking tickets to upkeep anything. I found the roads worse than I have ever experienced them.

[@derekk6906]

Simply not true.

[@JacquiBee88]

Years ago, my mom and I were driving through the Park and came upon a bear jam. Now this was in the 90's and bear sightings were still rather rare. There were 3 cubs, treed by all the stupid people out of their cars and within 5 feet or less of the cubs. You just know mama was just out of sight and weighing her options. I got out of that traffic and went straight to the ranger's station to report the problem. Then, as now, I couldn't abide the thought that a wild animal was going to be killed if she made a move to protect her babies. This problem has been caused by people and only people can fix it! Be safe out there and remember, the animals you see in G'burg or the National Park are WILD. Not trained, not petting zoo...

[@pattybrockman8561]

Looks like the bears own gattlinburg😢

[@TheGatlinburgHussey]

It's sad when you have to TELL people to stay away from wild animals...it's so obvious and yet, here we are ... Gatlinburg', Pigeon Forge ECT needs to STOP building and overpopulate this town ...I've lived here 30 yrs and it's nuts ..Great job on the Video Eric and Family 😉🌄🐻🏞️

[@marywegrzyn506]

Thank you for educating people who think it's cool to feed Bears. They must know that the Bear they feed today will be killed tomorrow because they destroyed the Bears natural fear of humans. 😢😢😢😢

[@AriaIsara]

The fault is on authorities euthanizing a bear for ABSOLUTELY NO REASON. The fault is not with people who gave it food.

[@randquadrozzi1280]

Where I live the summer residents feed them because they are cute but when they go back home the bears break in cottages looking for food and sometimes people are home creating a dangerous situation and most of the summer residents are lawyers,doctors and business men with zero common sense

[@Jennifer_Lewis_Beach_Living]

This is an EXCELLENT and educational video. Hopefully people see this and learn that it’s not a good idea to feed the “cute bear”.

[@pattybrockman8561]

A wild animal is unpredictable

[@dennisjackson6693]

great video good job

[@karlie4854]

I’m going here today now I’m scared

[@GH-cp9wc]

Fo the safety of the bear, don't discharge a firearm until the bear has attacked and is chewing on you.

[@derekk6906]

Think twice before you offer the Bear a Snickers Bar…. You and the Bear both escape unscathed.

[@brendawhisenhunt8444]

I can't believe that someone was feeding the Bear.

[@RABSTRAINS]

Thank you for this information. I am very sad that these beautiful black bears have been humanized. I have backpacked and day hiked in the Smoky Mountains many, many times. It pains me that people have fed the black bears and have created situations where these bears will be euthanized if caught. I enjoy your videos and again thank you for the information.

[@karenfromNH]

Thank you Eric

[@user-et5et9bb4b]

I know I will get alot of slack for the way I feel, but here goes my own personal opinion. It really breaks my heart to hear about a bear losing its life because of a human making the mistake of feeding a bear. It is not fair to the poor bear, it is the humans fault for feeding it. We are building so much that the bear's natural food supply is going away. Humans think it is so cute to see a cub and go and try to hold it, if they do, they better hope/pray the mother bear is not close by, but it attacked, the bear would be killed, again the humans fault. Yes, I am on the bear's side because the poor animals have no place to live. The poor bear will be killed because it went into the food stand, very sad, it is a animal and just is hungry. It breaks my heart to hear about a poor innocent bear being killed, oh humans say, oh just a bear, it is a innocent animal. When you go on the trails, you are in their homes, they live there, they have just come out of hibernation all winter and they are hungry. When you go into the ocean, you are in a sharks home. All animals just look for food, it is what they do, it is not their fault. I know this is my personal opinion. I can have my own opinion. I watch a bear cam in Katmai National Park in Alaska where the bears will be coming to feed on the salmon when they start arriving and you have to go to a bear school before you are even allowed on the stands. You are taught what to do when you encounter a bear, no they are not grizzlies, they are brown coastal bears. Explore.org has this channel and chats for viewers to learn about the bears and all animals have webcams to watch animals in the wild. I have learned alot about bears from watching the chats and the cams. Like I said, I am on the bears side, leave the poor innocent animals in the wild alone so they will not be killed because of a humans mistake, leave the cubs alone, if you pick them up, you will be lucky if the mother bear is not around because she does not know what your intentions are with her baby. Yes, I am a animal lover and just want to protect them.

[@MattOlshove-fk7us]

It's all fun till u are the snack

[@lisaissenmann8804]

Thanks so much for explaining the precautions about bears , the bears are in their natural habitat in the mountains and they should NOT be killed, they are beautiful animals that God created and people need to leave them alone...

[@lindabradford9591]

Those bear are in the trees right next to the town. That's scary.

[@sandragula4863]

Thank you for presenting this info, it was well done. To all that visit the area to see the bears, education about our bear population is so needed and necessary. Many factors are influencing why we as locals and tourists alike, need to respect the boundries for the safe preservation of these beautiful creatures. Remember…if you feed the bears, you have just sentenced them to death.

[@kaimanakisses]

Omg this is me!

[@SmokyMountainFamily]

The composure you showed here is incredible. I think most people would have made that situation worse. So glad you and yours got out of this situation unscathed!

[@kaimanakisses]

@@SmokyMountainFamily thank you 💕

[@thaimuayshoo1171]

Health code violation! I demand to see your manager right this instant & I'm not leaving until you do!

[@derekk6906]

There is a local KZbin channel, fairly popular that has a regular Bear visitor that he named and feeds out of a dog dish on his deck. He has several videos of Rosie visiting. So unfortunate and he ignores others concerns. I enjoy his content but not that type of content.

[@barbaraschley2981]

These bears should not suffer the fate of death for a human ignorance. People in national parks all over the United States are not paying attention to the rules and all these encounters with these animals. They need to put severe laws in place that if a person feeds one of these wild animals, they will be heavily fine and serve jail time. That’s the only way to make this stop. As a former resident of Sevierville, I can’t tell you how many times I witnessed tourists wanted to get close to animals in the Smoky Mountain national Park. This needs to stop! And the only way to stop it is to make people accountable by finding them and enforcing a jail sentence!

[@user-nk6fz5hv7z]

Do not fed or approach the bears ... we are in their homes, they are not in ours. We can share space as long as we respect and understand each other's personal space.

[@franksmith6871]

The only reason the bear at the concession stand acted aggressively when it was leaving is that it was just as startled as the screaming young woman, which put it into fight or flight mode. It ran away as soon as she turned away from it. I hope this encounter doesn't result in the bear being euthanized!

[@WhiteSupreme]

Bear country is literally anywhere with a bigger population of bears. 90% of Manitoba is bear country.

[@SmokyMountainFamily]

It’s funny how people fail to realize that their towns, before they were developed were also likely bear country. But yet they point the finger as if that’s not the case. Wild.

[@WhiteSupreme]

@@SmokyMountainFamily To be fair many people these days think food comes from factories.

[@SmokyMountainFamily]

@WhiteSupreme facts.

[@SmokyMountainFamily]

@WhiteSupreme touché my friend.

[@robertschooner1812]

And I would add that a black bear isn't Apex predator. It is not looking at you as a friend it is looking at you as food. And if you think for one moment that those Bears will not attack you you are sadly mistaken. Someone who lives 3 miles behind Dollywood leave the Bears alone you are guests here. It is in the name! You would not like it if I went into your part of the country or world and did that in your neck of the woods be respectful of nature and its surroundings.

[@AriaIsara]

Bears are not obligate carnivores. We are not normal prey to them. Bears crave fruits and sweet stuff more than meat - scientists use vanilla to trap them. When they attack a person often it's not even because we carry food, or because we are flesh, but because of the smell of our perfumes, shampoo etc. Yes a hungry black bear might want to eat you. But it's rare. Most attacks (which also are rare) are actually not predatory. You shouldn't talk about things you know nothing about.

[@janstanfield6088]

I’m sure it’s not all bears ;,,,tell us the truth!!!!!Dog man and or big foot

[@kimdykes8071]

Unfortunately, this bear was euthanized.

[@viciouspoodle5543]

Poor bears! Colonial imperialist genocide continues! These bears are treated like American Indians were.

[@mikedavis4851]

Tare down Gatlinburg give it back to the BEARS AND WILDLIFE.😊

[@koalabear6722]

The human should be fined and jailed! Gatlinburg is an open invitation for a Smorgasbord for bears! Stop killing bears and stop enticing bears !

[@AriaIsara]

The problem is authorities euthanizing a bear who didn't attack anyone. Sorry but it's maddening that people report on this and fail to understand this. *There is no need to euthanize this bear* . So what if some black bears don't fear us? Black bears are not obligate carnivores. We are NOT normally prey to them. If hungry they might attack a person. But most of the attacks (which are rare) are not predatory but out of fear/protection if a mother has cubs, or for territory protection. And so why not keep the bears fed and have them be less afraid of us? (On a larger note, we are throwing away a disgusting amount of food everyday. That should be dumped in specific places for wildlife.) Also, dogs with no history of violence kill dozens of people each year in the US - any animal can be dangerous. The fear mongering about unafraid bears is ridiculous. You can see in these interactions of unafraid beats that they're not even trying to attack.

[@SmokyMountainFamily]

What is it that led you to believe I fail to understand the bear should not have been euthanized? The message here is simply to be respectful of a bear’s space and territory and follow the guidelines put in place to protect them. We have bears that stroll through our yard on a regular basis without incident- a result of respecting their space and following these guidelines. Theorizing about these practices from the comfort of our phones is a much different game than the practical application that comes with living among them.

[@toniavasseur9574]

do you kill the bear for

[@ritapearl-im3wv]

TOO MANY BEARS, IMO. Not safe for children there with bears that wander EVERYWHERE!!! Tourism negative!

[@carlavision6143]

Eric, I wish I could come see a bear but, since I'll never ever get the chance I'll look forward to seeing them on video. Sad that they had to euthanize the bears. Really enjoyed your video!

[@joyineveryday]

If towns and cities would quit building more hotels and attractions, the Bears would have more forest to roam in. But, that will never happen because greed!

[@markwarren3535]

I live here and I am WHITE HOT mad about damn idiots feeding and jacking around with bears. Its a death sentence for the bear. There needs to be either massive fines or jail for causing a bear death. Or perhaps a pillowcase full of soap bard or cans of beans.

[@LeannePlah-kv7kt]

And don't release them in our area either we don't want bears

[@justmejenny7986]

I really wish they would stop killing them. Tranq it and move them far away. It's not their fault.

[@DavidWilliams-tr1yx]

I blame people for the Bears actions. These are not pets, they are wild animals. Don’t feed them, yes they will come pilfering for food. But don’t engage with them, because the Bears are going to be put down and that’s not fair

[@shannanbegley8189]

The bear should not be killed,should be relocated

[@SAHM_94]

We've seen bears here as long as ive lived here 😂 im 30+ but yea humans need to start respecting our beautiful animals 🥰 and humans need to stop making it so that these babies end up dying as ive been saying about the sharks ( humans are the problem ) especially in the ocean and especially in Gatlinburg/pigeon forge ! I'm over the people .

[@eagerlyawaiting5698]

The sad thing is people are taking over their territory building businesses, houses, theme parks Ect.. no wonder these poor Bears have nowhere else to freaking go give me a break and then you're going to kill them because of that!!

[@spyderadventures]

Dont discharge a firearm? Hahahaha

[@Debra.Justice]

Thank you for trying to educate the many ignorant people that ruin the national parks for everyone. These are wild animals, not teddy bears. Their sense of smell is incredible so they will be drawn to restaurants and outdoor eating areas looking for food. This reminds me of the fools in Yellowstone that try to pet bison and elk. Leave the animals alone. We are visitors in their home. Respect them and enjoy them at a distance. I live in Knoxville and we are seeing more and more bears in the city. There is so much habitat loss and human encroachment, the animals are being forced into close contact with people. It’s just sad the damage humans are causing to the environment.