They bear-ly survived.
Over a dozen people frantically scrambled for safety after a black bear suddenly charged through a Tennessee parking lot last week.
From a nearby balcony, a person filming the encounter shouted dire warnings — “Oh no! Oh no! Oh my God! Get in your car!” — at enamored onlookers who were busy taking snaps of the massive animal, Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
The unfazed bear barreled through a crowded area of the parking lot without attacking bystanders, the July 18 video shows.
Bear sightings are extremely common in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which borders Gatlinburg, near the harrowing parking lot encounter.
Approximately 339 negative bear encounters have been reported annually in the park over the last 10 years — and many incidents go unreported, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
When visiting national parks with high bear activity in a car or near a road, it’s best to stay in your vehicle, never feed bears, park only in designated pull-offs and never allow a bear near your vehicle, warns the NPS.
American black bears flourish in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with a large population of approximately 1,900, equaling a population density of two bears per square mile.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park public affairs office could not be immediately reached for comment.
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