A shocking incident took place near The Glass House Café in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, when a man approached and touched a black bear wandering across the street. The bear mostly ignored the man right up until he touched the animal, triggering it to swipe at bluff charge toward the person.
Black bears are a fairly frequent sight in and around Gatlinburg, with approximately 1,500 bears living in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While attacks on people are rare, it’s important that everyone treat bears with extreme caution.
That means giving them plenty of space, at least 150 feet at all times, and never approaching them. If you see a bear, you should slowly back away. Do not run and do not turn your back.
In the case of this incident, the best course of action would have been to back well away, warning the people in the area that a bear was near, and contacting local wildlife officers. Approaching the bear, even to distract it so another group can get away (as some people have claimed is occurring in this incident) is never acceptable, and attempting to touch it is even more dangerous.
