GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Gatlinburg authorities reported a few recent instances of bears crossing paths with people. One bear was filmed strolling the second floor of a hotel before it was coaxed away. Another time, a woman was injured after authorities said a Gatlinburg motel's trash was not properly secured, attracting a bear.
The bear in that instance was euthanized since it showed no fear of humans. It was a mother and left behind four cubs. Three of those cubs were taken in by Appalachian Bear Rescue.
"We have probably 1,900 bears, just using the Smoky Mountain area between Tennessee and North Carolina, which gives us one of the densest black bear populations in the world," said Greg Greico, with Appalachian Bear Rescue. "Unfortunately, a lot of people think it's fun. They think it's cool to be really close to bears."
Millions of people visit Gatlinburg throughout the year, and bear sightings are a common occurrence. Authorities in the area routinely warn people to secure their trash and tell businesses to follow ordinances on securing trash in dumpsters, hoping to prevent ways bears could be attracted to areas near people.
"They're there for trash, and they see you as someone getting in the way of their way of getting the trash," said Greico. "They're gonna swat at you. They're gonna nip at you, because they're gonna treat you just like any other bear that they're competing with over food."
The mother of the three cubs that were recently taken in was twice the size of many bear mothers in the wild. Appalachian Bear Rescue said she was living on trash, feasting in the area where Gatlinburg authorities require businesses to secure trash.
The city's "ordinance zone" covers much of the downtown area, and requires restaurants in the town to use bear-resistant trash cans. However, the nonprofit said it does not believe the ordinance is enough to deter bears from approaching the town.
"I know that information is not going to solve this problem. It's actionable things, like laws at the state level," said Greico.