Bear Ransacks Gatlinburg Cabin, Steals Reese’s Cups, M&Ms, Sour Patch Kids, Beer and Allergy Meds
OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow 05.12.20
When bears wake up from their long hibernation snoozes, the first thing on their minds is usually food. And sometimes wild berries just won’t cut it when they need to fill their empty stomachs. A pair of friends found this out recently while visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, after a black bear forced its way into their rental cabin.
Michelle Eberhart says she went to Gatlinburg to enjoy a long weekend with her husband and some friends. As Eberhart explains, she and her friend happened to be in the cabin by themselves when the bear showed up unexpectedly.
“She just started pointing, and I was like what, and I turned and looked, and there was a bear just putting his full force on the door, and then the door opens,” Eberhart said.
If the thought of one bear in the house is unnerving, there were also three other bears waiting on the porch outside while the one bear was working on stealing all the snacks..
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says black bears are coming out of winter hibernation.
TWRA spokesperson Matt Cameron says this is not typical bear behavior.
“It’s really not typical bear behavior for them to come on to someone’s porch and start looking for food. That means those bears have been around humans and have received handouts or have found a food source around a dwelling,” Cameron said.
The police eventually arrived and scared the bears away from the cabin, but it was a successful snack heist for the bears nonetheless.
“They got 5 pounds of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and a pound of M&M’s and two pounds of Sour Patch Kids and two bags of potato chips… two beers and two Diet Cokes and about 20 Zyrtecs.” Eberhart said.
It’s a shame the bear didn’t snag any Pepto-Bismol, because that kind of snack haul is just begging for an upset stomach!
