A video of Airbnb guests having "the wildest" visitor during their stay in the mountains of Tennessee has gone viral on TikTok.
On October 10, user @thecrunchypt posted the clip of the group's unexpected encounter with two bears, which has since amassed 2.2 million views.
The footage was recorded in Gatlinburg around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to the location shared with the post. In a later comment, the poster said their cabin was in "a pretty remote area."
Text overlaid on the video said, "Airbnb owner: you might see some bears."
The video shows a couple of bears lurking around the porch of the cabin. One of the bears is shown looking through the cabin's glass door, while the other pokes around the deck chairs.
"Probably the wildest thing that's ever happened to us at an Airbnb," the video's caption said. "This was in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee!"
Newsweek has contacted @thecrunchypt for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States. About 1,900 black bears live in the park, a density of about two bears per square mile, according to the National Park Service.
"Bears inhabit all elevations of the park," the NPS website said, adding that "at one time, the black bear's range included most of North America except the extreme west coast." However, their range has significantly decreased because of habitat loss.
The NPS warned: "Bears in the park are wild and their behavior can be unpredictable. Although extremely rare, attacks on humans have occurred, inflicting serious injuries and death. Treat bear encounters with extreme caution."
Bears have a keen sense of smell and can be enticed by the aroma of human food. Feeding bears may cause them to lose their instinctive fear of humans. They may approach people in search of food, making them more "unpredictable and dangerous," and those that pose a risk to public safety often "must be euthanized," the NPS said.
Visitors to the park are advised to do the following to help protect bears and themselves, as outlined on the NPS website.
- Dispose of all garbage or food scraps in bear-proof garbage containers or take it with you.
- Do not feed wildlife. Feeding a bear guarantees its demise.
- Do not approach within 50 yards or any distance that disturbs a bear.
- Do not allow bears to approach you.
'Airbnb of My Dream'
As startling as the bear sighting may have been to the poster, viewers on TikTok were amused by the incident in the viral clip, with several saying they'd love to stay at the cabin.
One commenter called it the "Airbnb of my dream," while another wrote: "Wild!! 5 star review for sure."
A user said: "This is so random and we love it haha! Can't imagine waking up and randomly seeing a bear on the balcony!"
"I'm going to Gatlinburg next week and this is the #1 thing I want to see," another added.
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