Tourists smash SUV window to free black bear trapped inside their vehicle in Gatlinburg

A group of tourists in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, took extreme measures to rescue a black bear that had become trapped inside their SUV. The incident, which was captured on video, occurred when the bear managed to get inside the vehicle and became locked in. The tourists attempted to use a Slim Jim tool to unlock the front door, but it did not work.

In a desperate bid to free the bear, one of the tourists smashed out the rear window of the SUV with a large rock. Once the glass shattered, the tourists immediately took off running for safety, while the bear crawled through the broken window and made its escape.

The incident highlights the risks of encounters between people and black bears in the area. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to approximately 1,900 American black bears, and sees around 12 million visitors each year. It was not clear how the bear got into the SUV, but it was likely looking for food.

This was a fortunate outcome for the bear, but it is not always the case. In recent weeks, there have been several reported incidents of black bears getting trapped inside vehicles in Colorado. In one case, a bear died after getting trapped inside an unlocked vehicle in Colorado Springs, while in another, a bear was trapped inside a vehicle in Manitou Springs for several hours before being freed by firefighters.

The National Park Service warns visitors to the Smoky Mountains to lock their vehicles and not to leave food, garbage or other scented items inside, in order to avoid attracting bears.