A woman riding a mountain coaster recorded the moment she spotted a black bear on the side of the track as her cart gradually approached the wild animal.
After the encounter, Ashlee Brooke (@ashlee_brooke_) posted the video on TikTok, sparking amazement but not surprise.
@ashlee_brooke_ So this happened… #blackbears #obermountain #mountaincoaster #gatlinburg #pigeonforge #greatsmokymountainstennessee ♬ original sound - Ashlee
What's happening?
The clip starts by depicting the mountain coaster ride with a fun tune playing in the background. As the cart goes around a bend and begins to climb, Ashlee pans the camera up and catches a large figure moving toward the track.
"Umm…I know that's not a f****** bear," on-screen text states as the cart moves onward. "Yep…it's a f****** bear."
The anxiety felt through the screen peaks as the cart rolls up to where the bear was spotted.
Fortunately, and perhaps because of the sound of the approaching ride, the bear has turned around and walked away from the tracks. As the camera homes in on it, another black bear is spotted looking directly at Ashlee.
"S*** like this don't happen every day," she remarked.
Why are human-wildlife encounters concerning?
Black bears can measure four to seven feet from nose to tail, according to PBS, and weigh between 90 and 500 pounds. Encountering one of these animals in the wild can be scary.
Even though most black bears are nonconfrontational, preferring to run away from an encounter as the black bear in Ashlee's video did, they may be inclined to attack if they feel they need to protect their food, habitat, or young, according to the National Park Service.
While these human-wildlife encounters aren't rare, they are increasing in frequency as humans encroach on bear territory to develop land. The warming climate (driven primarily by dirty fuel pollution) and changes in weather patterns are also affecting the availability of food and resources, forcing bears and other wildlife to attempt to share resources with humans.
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Absolutely 👍 What to do when encountering wildlife?
The first rule for wildlife encounters is to try to avoid them. If you spot wildlife in nature, do not approach. Try to keep a safe distance from the animal.
If a black bear has noticed you, the NPS recommends identifying yourself as a human by talking calmly to it, which helps the animal distinguish you from prey.
Appear to look bigger by putting your arms up and moving to higher ground if possible. If there are small children around, pick them up calmly but immediately.
The key is to stay calm and refrain from making sudden movements or distressing sounds, which could confuse the bear into thinking you are prey.
In the video, Ashlee stayed calm despite the unexpected encounter and safely made it past the pair of black bears.
"Was that fun?" one commenter asked.
"We have approximately ten bears per square mile here. They're everywhere. Most people just don't slow down enough to see them. You had no choice," another joked.
"I couldn't imagine being on that ride at their mercy," someone else said.
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