Downtown Gatlinburg had a large furry visitor, but how tourists reacted was even more surprising.
Tourons of National Parks (@touronsofnationalparks) shared a video on Instagram of a black bear roaming the heavily populated Tennessee mountain town.
Just outside of a Methodist church and Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen, the bear stepped onto the sidewalk from the main road. People captured the sight on their phones.
Even as the animal went up the steps, closer to the shops, the crowd followed the bear like paparazzi. The bear was not aggressive. It was seemingly all too comfortable with human interaction.
The post's caption read, "On any given night in downtown Gatlinburg, you may run into a bear roaming around. Please don't approach it or shove a camera in its face. A safe distance is always best and just leave them be."
Ironically, even their footage shows they were way too close to a wild bear.
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The National Park Service recommends staying 150 feet away from wild bears — half the length of a football field. Bears can run up to 35 miles per hour and while they aren't typically aggressive, they are still dangerous animals. If they decide to charge, that's a race you are guaranteed to lose.
Unfortunately, incidents such as this are happening more often, even while animals are feeding. For some, getting a photo has become more important than safety precautions.
It's even happening in national parks, where you would think people would pay attention to signage about safety protocols. Some tourists see an animal and behave as if the area was a petting zoo.
These interactions can end up in tragedy when animals that attack or injure humans, even if they were provoked, are often euthanized. Keeping a safe distance protects everyone, including wildlife.
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Definitely 👍 The Gatlinburg bear gathered more than 200 comments on the matter. Most of them were disappointed by human behavior.
One Instagram user said, "We are a content over safety society."
"Wish people would be a bit more respectful of wildlife," another wrote.
A third commented, "Amazed that people think they are faster than a bear."
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