Bear killed after wandering into concession stand and charging at worker, officials say

A bear that walked into a concession stand and charged at a “surprised” worker has now been euthanized, Tennessee wildlife officials said.

The incident happened at about 9:30 p.m. on June 20 at Anakeesta Mountaintop Adventure Park, which borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The employee working the stand briefly left the booth and propped the back door open, a video shows, likely allowing the bear to wander in.

The video recorded by a patron at the window shows the bear eating the food and turning to leave, right as the employee walks back in.

The worker turns and runs away, but the bear chases after her and appears to briefly leap up on her. The bear then flees as she hurries back to the booth and shuts the door.

Wildlife officials said the worker sustained “superficial injuries,” but they began the process of trapping the bear to prevent further incidents.

“Unfortunately, this bear was not a candidate for relocation,” TWRA black bear coordinator Dan Gibbs said in a news release.

While attempting to catch the animal from the incident, wildlife officers said they caught other bears, including a mother bear with four cubs, until they eventually caught one that matched the description of that bear and euthanized it.

“TWRA does not enjoy having to euthanize any wildlife, especially bears and we don’t do it indiscriminately,” Gibbs said. “We utilize what we call the ‘Bear Conflict Matrix,’ which was developed by wildlife professionals as a guide for addressing human/bear conflict. In this incident, the bear entered a concession stand with humans present and made physical contact with an employee causing minor injuries.”

The park is working with the state agency to take preventive measures as well. It bought temporary electric fences, electrified mats for after-hours and caging for the concession stand doors, officials said.

“Anakeesta is continuously working to improve the safety and security of our park, including limiting bear interactions,” the park’s communications manager Austin Martin said. “We are dedicated to keeping our native wildlife protected in their natural habitat.”

Anakeesta Mountaintop Adventure Park is in Gatlinburg, about a 35-mile drive southeast from Knoxville.

This story was originally published June 25, 2024 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Bear killed after wandering into concession stand and charging at worker, officials say."