A video circulating on social media shows a black bear chowing down on some gumbo before lunging at a concession stand worker.
The incident occurred Thursday at the Anakeesta Mountaintop Adventure Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, according to WBIR News. The bear entered the stand, ironically called “Bear Can,” at around 9:30 p.m., the outlet reported.
In a video posted to TikTok, a bear appears to be behind a concession stand, eating gumbo off of its arm.
The animal appears to be sniffing around while holding onto a box as workers stand in awe.
“I’ve got nothing for you, buddy,” a man can be heard saying in the video.
“Look, he’s drooling,” he says. “He’s all about this gumbo.”
“Might be too spicy for him,” another man can be heard saying.
After the onlookers share a few more laughs and comments, the bear can be seen jumping down from the counter and turning towards the door to leave.
As the bear prepares to exit, a worker carrying a large pot tries to walk in the door, seemingly unaware of the animal’s presence. (RELATED: Video Shows Bear Steal Watermelon From Family’s Fridge).
She lets out a yell as the bear lunges at her. She runs off, dropping the pot as the bear appears to run in the other direction. The worker can then be seen rushing to the concession stand, removing the mop that propped the door open and closing it behind her.
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“Are you okay? Did he get you?” a woman can be heard asking.
“No, but she got burned on her arm,” a man replied.
The worker checks out her arm, but no injuries appear visible.
Users in the comments expressed disbelief that fellow workers didn’t warn her about the bear inside the stand.
“so y’all just DIDNT TELL HER ????” one user wrote.
“But for real tho, co-workers didn’t think about notifying their teammate outside grabbing the pot?” another wrote.
The Anakeesta Mountaintop Adventure Park told WBIR News they are aware of the incident and working to create a safer environment.
“Bears are a big part of the magic in the Great Smoky Mountains,” Austin Martin, the park’s communications manager, told WBIR News in a statement. “The Anakeesta team works diligently to create a safe space to co-exist with the native wildlife.”
