GATLINBURG, Tenn. — A viewer shared a video with WBIR of a mama bear and her three cubs digging into some trash on top of a car outside a cabin in Gatlinburg.
She said some housekeepers were inside cleaning the cabin at the time.
She honked her horn to alert the housekeepers and try to scare the bears away.
She said the bears weren't phased by the horn or the housekeepers yelling at them and just kept eating their free meal.
While black bears are a treasured sight around the Smokies, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Association emphasizes the responsibility we have in co-existing with these furry neighbors.
MORE BEAR TIPS: TWRA offers tips on how to co-exist with black bears
One major factor is making sure your trash is stored and secured so the bears cannot find it because it can make them too comfortable around people, which brings about safety concerns for humans and bears.
We may love seeing them, but these bears are still wild animals and need to be treated with respect.