There are a ton of bear sightings lately in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, including one that involved a black bear wandering down a crowded street after dark and a man who doesn’t know much about bears. In a trending video, a man in a hoodie pursues a bear as it crosses the street, and then tries to pet it. The bear doesn’t like this at all, and it growls at him as onlookers scream in shock. Thankfully, neither the man nor the bear was hurt in this instance.
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[RELATED: WATCH: Hikers Meet Bear on Bridge in Canada]
“This is what NOT to do when you see a bear in Gatlinburg!” wrote Gatlinburg LIVE in a Facebook post sharing the video. “A man actually tried to touch this bear crossing the street . . . and the bear snapped at him. Y’all . . . give wildlife space. This could’ve ended very differently.”
Watch as a man tries to pet a bear in Gatlinburg:
In another (less-controversial) bear sighting, Amanda Snook-Paige captured images of a black bear crashing the town’s 50th annual Christmas parade:
Bears are clearly out and about in the Smokies region, and residents should be aware of the possibility of bears at all times.
Header stock image by Janice Chen/Getty Images
Best Bear (and Mountain Lion) Sprays
- SABRE Frontiersman MAX Bear and Mountain Lion Attack Deterrent
- Counter Assault Bear Deterrant Spray
- UDAP Pepper Power Bear Spray
- Mace Brand Bear Spray
- UDAP Griz Guard Bear Pepper Spray
Learn more about bear sprays here.
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