Man injured by black bear inside Gatlinburg cabin

Published 2:05 pm Monday, October 24, 2022

GATLINBURG – A man vacationing at a Gatlinburg cabin was injured by a black bear that entered the home in the middle of the night on Saturday.

TWRA Wildlife Officers say the incident occurred at a rental cabin in the downtown vicinity after 11 p.m. when a man walked into the kitchen to find the bear that had entered through a set of locked, but not dead-bolted, French doors.  The bear charged the man and swatted at him causing serious injuries to his face and the top of his head.  The bear also scratched him across his back as he retreated to the bedroom where he locked himself in and called 911.

Police and emergency medical services responded to the scene but the man refused medical treatment. The man was later driven by family members to a local hospital where he was treated and released.

A trap was set at the scene and a bear fitting the description was caught and euthanized early yesterday afternoon.  The bear was a 2 or 3-year-old female without cubs weighing 209 lbs.  Hair samples have been sent for DNA analysis and the claws have been swabbed for human hemoglobin testing.  Results are expected this week.

Although wildlife officers had not received any recent reports of bear complaints in this specific area, numerous bears inhabit Gatlinburg and other cities around the park.

Black bears habituated to human or other unnatural foods sometimes enter homes, vehicles, or other human-inhabited areas in search of food.  TWRA encourages people living or vacationing in bear-inhabited areas to live responsibly with black bears by practicing the BearWise Basics:

• Never Feed or Approach Bears

• Secure Food, Garbage, and Recycling

• Remove Bird Feeders When Bears are Active

•  Never Leave Pet Food Outdoors

• Clean And Store Grills

• Alert Neighbors to Bear Activity

Learn more at BearWise.org