Bear climbs into car outside of Gatlinburg cabin
Raven Sartain said a bear climbed into their cars open window just minutes after they arrived in Gatlinburg on Saturday.
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - On the same day a bear broke into a cabin and injured a man, another family nearby had a bear encounter of their own.
In the same area, Raven Sartain and her family from Alabama said they got to their cabin and within five minutes of being there had an up close and personal encounter with a bear.
“Apparently, the milkshake did bring the bears to the yard,” said Sartain after she believes a bear smelled the milkshake in the back seat of her car and climbed through the open window to get it.
This family comes to the mountains every year and has seen bears off and on, but nothing like this.
Sartain said after the initial encounter, multiple bears kept coming back in the days after. The Tuscaloosa native added that some even came as close as their front door while they watched safely from inside.
“They’re not scared of us so that kind of worries me,” said Sartain as she thought about how close and often the bears came to the family.
Knowing what happened in the same area with the attack, this family is making sure they take extra steps to be safe.
According to Sartain, they’re now ensuring their windows are up and doors locked. When they go outside, they’re not going alone and always bringing someone with them for safety.
If you encounter a bear in the Smokies, here’s what you should do.
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