Bear breaks into locked cabin and attacks man near Great Smoky Mountains, officials say
A bear burst into a locked cabin and attacked a tourist in a popular Tennessee vacation spot, officials said.
The man was in a mountain rental home when the bear came inside and charged at him on Saturday, Oct. 22, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The attack was reported after 11 p.m. in Gatlinburg, a town near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The destination is the nation’s most visited national park site, straddling the border with North Carolina.
The bear reportedly entered the cabin “in the middle of the night.” Officials believe the animal came “through a set of locked, but not dead-bolted, French doors” before the tourist found the animal in the cabin’s kitchen.
“The bear charged the man and swatted at him causing serious injuries to his face and the top of his head,” the wildlife agency wrote in a news release. “The bear also scratched him across his back as he retreated to the bedroom where he locked himself in and called 911.”
The man declined to receive medical treatment at the scene but later was taken to a hospital and released, the agency wrote.
The tourist’s rental cabin was near downtown Gatlinburg, in an area that hadn’t had recent bear complaints. Officials said a nearby trap caught a bear that matched the description of the one involved in the attack.
The 209-pound female bear — which did not have cubs — was euthanized, officials said. Samples from her body were submitted for further testing.
In Tennessee, black bears are found near the state’s borders with North Carolina and Kentucky. The animals, which can grow up to 600 pounds, aren’t usually aggressive toward people, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency website.
“Black bears habituated to human or other unnatural foods sometimes enter homes, vehicles, or other human-inhabited areas in search of food,” the agency wrote in its release.
To help avoid encounters, people are encouraged to take down bird feeders, keep garbage secured, move pet food inside and clean outdoor grills. If you spot a bear, officials recommend backing away, raising your arms or trying tactics to scare it off.
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Bear breaks into locked cabin and attacks man near Great Smoky Mountains, officials say."
