A black bear that entered a concession stand at a Gatlinburg attraction has been euthanized.
The bear entered a concession stand at Anakeesta, a mountaintop adventure park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. It accessed the stand, coincidentally named the “Bear Can,” through a back door employee entrance. As the bear exited, it encountered a park worker entering the stand, resulting in brief physical contact. The employee sustained minor injuries and did not require medical attention.
Following the incident, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) captured and euthanized a bear matching the description of the one involved. Dan Gibbs, TWRA Black Bear Coordinator, said that TWRA does not like having to euthanize any wildlife, especially bears, and the decision isn’t made lightly. TWRA uses a chart named the ‘Bear Conflict Matrix’ to address human-bear conflicts. Unfortunately, Gibbs said, this bear was not a candidate for relocation.
In response, TWRA and Anakeesta are working together to enhance park safety and reduce its attractiveness to bears. Located near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Anakeesta is taking measures to secure garbage and food. The park has installed temporary electric fencing, electrified “unwelcome mats,” and ordered steel caging for concession stand doors.
“We applaud Anakeesta for improving measures to restrict bears’ access to garbage and human foods,” said Joe Benedict, TWRA Wildlife and Forestry Chief. Anakeesta President Bryce Bentz added, “We are expanding our partnership with TWRA to keep bears and people safe.” Communications Manager Austin Martin stated, “We are dedicated to improving park safety and protecting our native wildlife.”
TWRA has trapped several bears since the incident, including a female with four cubs and a male involved in ongoing bear research. These bears were released on-site and have not been recaptured.
This is the second bear and human encounter caught on camera in Gatlinburg in the past week. Another video shared on social media shows a bear approaching a woman holding a child outside the Bearskin Lodge in Gatlinburg on June 18. The woman can be seen standing still with her back turned to the bear. The bear sniffs around and briefly touches the woman before moving away.
