A Tennessee native had a close encounter with a bear and her cubs, trying to steal some food from the back of his truck.
The video posted by CBS News Climate Watch (@cbsnewsplanet) on Instagram showcases a man in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, with his family recording as a large black bear and her two cubs approach the back of his open truck.
As the man steps away a safe distance, the mama jumps into the back of the truck, steals a travel bag full of food, and runs off with the goodies.
It's a good thing that the man stepped back and did not try to approach the bear or her cubs. While bears are mostly docile and actually afraid of humans, they can and will attack if they feel threatened.
"You're supposed to try and scare them off for their own good. Once they get hooked on human food they don't care to forage anymore and cause problems or starve since they no longer forage," one user warned in the comments.
This is why feeding bears in the wild is also dangerous. Giving them food can make them less likely to flee from humans and lead to close calls, as this man in Romania almost experienced at a national park.
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The National Park Service advises that maintaining a safe distance and backing off slowly to give a bear space is the best way to avoid dangerous bear attacks in the wild.
Even with their rarity, bear attacks can still be incredibly deadly if the situation is handled poorly, so staying safe should be your No. 1 priority.
"Food can always be replaced, lives can't," another Instagram user commented.
This is precisely why national parks often have boundaries or signs to warn people about getting too close to the animals or prevent them from approaching at all. In some cases, however, people still fail to heed the warnings, putting themselves and others at risk.
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By following these warnings and steps, we can protect both ourselves and wildlife without harm, while maintaining a healthy relationship with nature.
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