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Greeneville woman has a 'beary' close call with antique-loving bear

"Ms. Brenda is fearless. You better not mess with her!" Back Porch Antiques said on social media.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Back Porch Antiques posted on social media on Wednesday sharing some images of a black bear attempting to go on a shopping spree.

The store said there were a couple of things to notice, and made a joke about the bear encounter. 

"1. Bears apparently like antiques," the store said on social media. "2. Ms. Brenda is fearless. You better not mess with her!" 

A couple things to notice here. 1. Bears apparently like antiques. 2. Ms. Brenda is fearless. You better not mess with her!

Posted by Back Porch Antiques on Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Credit: Back Porch Antiques

What to do if you see a bear

The biggest step stressed by both GSMNP and BearWise is for visitors to keep their distance. 

  • Do not allow the bear to approach you.
  • If the bear is at a distance, feeding, or walking by and notices you but continues its natural behavior, no action is needed on your part. Proceed while continuing to observe the bear.
  • If your presence causes the bear to change its behavior (stops feeding, changes its travel direction, watches you, etc.) you are too close.

Being too close to a bear may cause it to become aggressive, so keeping distance is key when it comes to watching the wildlife. 

RELATED: TWRA urges safety as bear activity increases, 30 vehicle accidents involving bears reported in 2024 as of June

What to do if a bear sees you

The park provides many steps on what to do when being approached by a black bear.

  • If the bear continues to follow you, stand your ground.
  • If the bear gets closer, talk loudly or shout at it.
  • Act aggressively to intimidate the bear.
  • Act together as a group if you have companions. Make yourselves look as large as possible (for example, move to higher ground).
  • Throw non-food objects such as rocks at the bear.
  • Use a deterrent such as a stout stick.

The park also said to use bear spray if any is available, not to leave food for the bear and not to turn or run away. 

If the bear has no interest in food and is becoming hostile, the park said to fight back aggressively and not play dead.

 

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