GATLINBURG, Tenn. – A black bear that boldly approached a mother holding her young child outside a popular hotel in the tourist-heavy town of Gatlinburg is set to be trapped and euthanized, wildlife officials said, after the animal showed no fear of people and made physical contact during a frightening nighttime encounter.
The incident unfolded the night of June 18, 2024, just outside the Bearskin Lodge. Viral video footage captured the moment a black bear walked up to the woman as she sat holding her child near a rocking chair. The bear reared up on its hind legs, sniffed near the child’s foot, and at one point hooked its claws on the woman’s clothing before eventually moving away in search of food.
No one was injured, but the close call quickly spread across social media and raised alarms with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
“We cannot relocate a bear with this type of behavior, which is the direct result of people feeding bears,” TWRA spokesperson Matthew Cameron said. “This is extremely dangerous and fortunately, no one was injured.”
Cameron stressed that the bear’s lack of fear was not normal. Officials determined the animal had likely been hand-fed by people in the past, an illegal act within Gatlinburg city limits, causing it to associate humans with easy meals.
“This is an example of how unfearful people have become of wildlife and how misunderstood black bears can be,” Cameron added. “They are not teddy bears. They are large, powerful animals with sharp claws, sharp teeth, and strong jaws. The potential for serious injury or death is always a possibility when in their presence.”
Lodge staff had reportedly urged guests to come inside after the bear appeared, but some remained outdoors. The woman in the video appeared frozen as the animal closed in from behind.
Gatlinburg sits at the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the densest black bear habitats in the eastern United States. Tourists flock to the area year-round, and wildlife officials say the combination of high visitor numbers and improper food storage or deliberate feeding has created a dangerous pattern of habituated bears.
“The actions of irresponsible people are what is going to cause this bear to be euthanized,” Cameron noted. Officials set traps in the area, and any bear captured nearby that displays similar comfort around humans faces the same fate.
Wildlife experts continue to warn visitors: never approach or feed bears, secure all food and trash, and immediately move indoors or to a vehicle if a bear is spotted. Black bears that lose their natural wariness of people often cannot be safely returned to the wild and become a threat to public safety.
The case serves as another stark reminder that when people treat wild animals like pets for the sake of a social media video, it is often the animal, and potentially human lives, that pay the ultimate price.
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