WATCH: Bear rummages through dumpster in Gatlinburg

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A WVLT News viewer recorded video of a black bear rummaging through a dumpster in search of food in Gatlinburg.

Donna Pizzuto, who shared the video, said the bear was seen near light #8.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says on their website that the survival rate of a bear who receives food from human sources has a much lower survival rate than one who does not. “Nationwide bear management experience has clearly shown that bears attracted to human food sources, or that are deliberately fed by humans, have a relatively short life,” the TWRA says.

The TWRA also recommends that those who interact with bears never approach or feed them, and suggests that food and garbage be stored in an area that is not accessible to bears.

The TWRA also mentions that black bears are rarely aggressive towards humans, but they “should always be treated as wild animals, whether in residential or backcountry areas.”

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