Black bear lunges at surprised Tennessee park employee, video shows
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — A black bear has been euthanized following an incident at the Anakeesta Mountaintop Adventure Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee last week.
The business is also enacting new safety measures to deter future encounters.
The encounter took place inside a concessions stand at the recreation park on Thursday around 9:30 p.m. Video filmed by Zachary Recchia shows the animal first at the concession stand counter, and then lunging at an approaching employee who appeared at the door as it left.
The employee can be seen reentering the concessions area, unaware of the bear, when it lunges and swats at her with both front paws. The bear quickly moves out of sight and she hurries into the stand, shutting the door behind her.
A representative for Anakeesta said the bear and employee “made brief physical contact" during the incident.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said Monday that a bear matching the description of the bear seen on video was caught and has been euthanized. Several other bears, including a female with four cubs, were caught and released.
“TWRA does not enjoy having to euthanize any wildlife, especially bears and we don't do it indiscriminately,” says Dan Gibbs, TWRA Black Bear Coordinator. “We utilize what we call the 'Bear Conflict Matrix,' which was developed by wildlife professionals as a guide for addressing human/bear conflict. In this incident, the bear entered a concession stand with humans present and made physical contact with an employee causing minor injuries. Unfortunately, this bear was not a candidate for relocation.”
Anakeesta and TWRA also announced new safety measures at the park. Temporary electric fencing and electrified "unwelcome mats" will be used when the park is closed to guests. Steel cages to secure concession stand doors and contain garbage before it is taken to trash compactors have also been ordered.
“Our team is expanding our partnership with TWRA by implementing new initiatives to keep bears and people safe during their Smoky Mountain vacations,” said Bryce Bentz, the president of Anakeesta Mountaintop Adventure Park. “We are making improvements to our park every day with guidance from local agencies on how to stay ‘BearWise.'”
This is the second bear/human encounter caught on camera in the Smoky Mountains in the past week. Another video shared on social media shows a bear approaching a woman holding a child outside the Bearskin Lodge in Gatlinburg on June 18. The TWRA said that if the bear seen on the video is captured, it will also be euthanized.
More information for staying safe in areas where bears are known to live can be found at BearWise.org.