GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The Gatlinburg Police Department met with downtown business leaders to show them how they can keep their properties safe, after receiving several reports of bears approaching people in the area. A recent video showed a bear strolling the second floor of a hotel before an employee coaxed it down and away.
Another woman was injured over the weekend at another motel in downtown Gatlinburg after authorities said trash was not properly secured, which attracted the bear. The Super 8 motel was cited earlier this summer for the same reason.
Gatlinburg leaders reported 13 million visitors in the area, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said more bears are being seen in the area. Both entities are now working to teach thousands of tourists bear safety.
After incidents like the one over the weekend, the TWRA said businesses that repeatedly refuse to follow safety guidelines may end up in court.
"We issue a warning then go back to check it," said Seargant David Sexton with TWRA. "If they are still not in compliance, we give them a court order to appear in court."
Gatlinburg leaders said a new dumpster initiative can also mean bears' usual meals of food waste may be gone. They also said the city is almost done with a $3 million bear-proofing dumpster project, securing the trash at nearly 500 sites in the downtown area.
"The bears that used to use the dumpsters can't get the trash anymore. So, now we're seeing them in places closer to people because they're looking for new ones," said Seth Butler, Director of Operations and Communications with the City of Gatlinburg. "We made the investment into replacing trash cans with city-owned and city-managed dumpsters."
The TWRA said it is also working to track bear behavior and determine how comfortable they are around humans. Ones that get too comfortable with people may need to be euthanized by the TWRA because they can get too close and hurt someone.
"It's a spectrum, from wild bear behavior to dangerous behavior," said Janelle Musser, Black Bear biologist with TWRA. "There's nothing we can do at that point."
Anyone who encounters a black bear should try to look big, make lots of noise and back up slowly — all ways to avoid and intimidate the bear. They should never approach bears and absolutely never feed or touch them.
According to TWRA, 11 bears have been "humanely killed" in 2024 due to public safety risks as of July, with three more euthanized for injuries they would not have been able to survive.