Woman In Gatlinburg Caught On Camera Trying To Hand-Feed A Black Bear

Here’s an example of what not to do if you find yourself in the proximity of a bear.

It’s estimated that around 400,000 bears live in the United States, and in certain parts of the country, residents have to always be on alert and keep an eye out for bears. Black bears make up most of that total number (around 300,000), and one place where you are almost guaranteed to see them is in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Millions of people flock to Smoky Mountain National Park every year to take in the beautiful scenery and witness the incredible wildlife (and moonshine tastings) that Gatlinburg has to offer. In fact, the National Park of the Great Smoky Mountains in the most visited national park in the country.

In the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a family-friendly tourist destination. Those that have been before know that there’s no better place to go look at mountain, stay in a cabin, eat pancakes, and get drunk off of moonshine tastings. Former Gatlinburg visitors also know there’s a good chance that you’ll cross paths with a black bear while you are there.

It’s best to keep your distance from any wild animal, and that’s especially true with bears. The National Park Service (as well as basic common sense) advises tourists to stay 100 yards away from bears, and to never approach the apex predators. Those experts also scream not to feed wild animals, and somehow, this group of people in this video nonchalantly broke every single one of those rules.

As you’ll see, a woman and a couple of others can be seen standing within a few feet of a bear, attempting to feed it some food. Someone nearby turned their camera on and got it rolling to capture the asinine encounter, which showed the bear hesitantly inching towards the tourists as if to say:

“You all know you aren’t supposed to be doing this, right?”

If the bear wanted to turn on the people standing there, it could have done so at any second. Meanwhile, the Gatlinburg tourists had no idea how much danger they were in, and continued to try and coax the black bear closer to them for a snack or a pet on the head.

It’s one of the more wild and concerning videos you’ll ever see:

Do they think Gatlinburg is just one, big petting zoo?

That’s about as horrific of an interaction as you can have with a bear (without someone being mauled). Feeding wild animals can make them more dangerous, and more apt to approach humans. The act of hand-feeding – or even trying to feed – this black bear not only put those in this video in danger, it also puts others that live in that area at risk.

And you might be asking, “Well why’d you write about this if you think it’s so bad?” If you happen to be thinking that, I’d answer by saying that sometimes stupidity deserves to be put on a pedestal, that way people can witness it and vow to never be as stupid.The post Woman In Gatlinburg Caught On Camera Trying To Hand-Feed A Black Bear first appeared on Whiskey Riff.