Afternoon traffic near Baskins Creek in Gatlinburg got a surprise visitor on June 5, when a black bear was caught on video climbing into the bed of a parked pickup truck and rummaging around for a snack.
The short clip, recorded just before 3 p.m. in a roadside pull-off, shows the bear casually hoisting itself into the truck bed and pawing through whatever it can find, apparently on the hunt for food. The footage was posted to Facebook by a user who goes by Gatlinburg Girl and has since made the rounds among locals and tourists alike, according to WATE 6 On Your Side.
In the post, the filmer warns others to lock things up: “Make sure all trash is secured and windows are up,” noting the bear “was looking for food,” per WATE. Neighbors chimed in with familiar reminders: keep vehicles locked, and do not leave coolers, groceries, or fast-food leftovers where a hungry bear can sniff them out.
Why bears get into cars and trucks
Bears are opportunistic feeders, and anything that smells remotely like food is an open invitation. Once they learn that vehicles, trash cans, or porches mean easy calories, they can become “food-conditioned,” losing their natural fear of people and returning again and again.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency stresses that securing attractants such as garbage, pet food, bird seed, and unlocked vehicles is the simplest way to prevent repeat encounters. In other words, if it smells tasty to you, it smells even better to a bear.
How to stay safe around bears
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park recommends giving bears plenty of space, roughly 50 yards, and never approaching or feeding them. If a bear wanders into a busy area, wildlife officials say making noise from a safe distance can often encourage it to move along.
If a bear appears sick or injured, or keeps returning to buildings or vehicles, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency advises calling their regional dispatch so wildlife officers can step in before a close call turns into something more serious.
A pattern in town
The truck-bed visit is just the latest in a string of bold bear sightings in Gatlinburg this spring. In early May, a bear was caught on camera trying to nose its way into Olga’s Yodel Cinnamon Rolls, according to WSMV4.
City officials, for their part, are trying to stay one step ahead of the bears. Gatlinburg has been rolling out a $3 million project to install animal-resistant dumpsters and pushing BearWise outreach to cut down on easy food sources and keep both residents and four-legged foragers out of trouble.
