A group of tourists seriously chanced fate by trying to feed a wild black bear in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. A bystander captured the entire scene on camera, uploading it to the internet.
Kristopher S. Underwood, who filmed the encounter, says the incident happened in November. A black bear began approaching a group of people in the Tennessee tourist spot. Instead of trying to flee, they allowed the animal to approach. One woman even tried to get closer to the bear. She then tries to beckon the bear over to them and appears to offer it a treat.
The bear doesn't want the food and begins to back away from the group. Speaking with NBC News, Underwood called the whole thing "mind-blowing." He doesn't understand how the tourists could not consider their own safety. The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission suggests keeping your distance from the animals.
Wild Black Bear Feeding
The organization writes, "Black bears are one of Tennessee's state treasures and no other animal exemplifies the wilderness experience like them. They have been called a charismatic mega-fauna and for good reason - everyone from non-hunters to hunters, to wildlife watchers - we all love bears in our own special ways. For these reasons, it is everyone's responsibility to keep them wild and keep them alive."
Never try to feed or come up to a black bear. "Never run from a black bear! This will often trigger its natural instinct to chase," the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission added.
"The deliberate and accidental feeding of bears is socially irresponsible and causes animals to become conditioned and habituated to people," the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission shared. "Bears that habituate to human presence eventually become a threat to human safety. The end result is that such bears are often killed by intolerant and/or fearful landowners or have to be destroyed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency."
There are more than 1,500 black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you're visiting Gatlinburg, then keep your distance.
