GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — While black bears are a common sight in Gatlinburg , most people don’t expect to see them in their kitchen. That became reality for one family Sunday morning.
“And I just thought, that’s, that can’t be — that’s a bear,” said Kiley Pickett-Suits.
Suits said she and her family were visiting from Alabama to watch the Crimson Tide take on the Volunteers this weekend, but left with a bear encounter they will never forget.
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When she found a bear in their kitchen, she was the one to scare it away.
“I remembered somewhere hearing that if you see a bear not to run away, but to go towards it and act big and so that’s what I did,” she said. “I was like, ‘get out of here!’ And it was a nice, friendly bear. I mean, it just literally went on its way.”
Experts say you should not approach a bear under any circumstances and should leave the area by quietly moving away. Bearwise.org recommends the following actions if you encounter a black bear in a building, by a dumpster, or around a corner: