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Credit: AnakeestaA popular theme park recently went into a total lockdown after a bear attacked one of its employees.
Theme parks do a lot to keep their guests safe, but sometimes, there’s only so much you can do before the real world steps in.
Inclement weather, such as hurricanes or tornado watches, has shuttered multiple theme parks in the past and will likely shutter multiple more in the future. Natural disasters also play their part, with Tokyo Disney Resort once spending over a month closed due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Sometimes, nature can interrupt theme park operations in a more unusual way. In 2023, for example, Walt Disney World Resort guests were shocked to find sections of Magic Kingdom Park temporarily barred to all guests when a bear made its way into the theme park. Wild bears have also been spotted at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
If you thought that was wild, another bear incident occurred at a different theme park this week. This time, a bear made its way into Anakeesta, an outdoor family adventure park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where it attacked an employee on Thursday (June 20).
A video secured by TMZ shows a bear making its way into a concession stand at Anakeesta, where it soon starts trying to raid the kitchen for snacks. Theme park guests watched this unfold from the other side of the stand, but one unsuspecting employee went to enter the stand via the open door, causing the bear to lunge at her.
The woman quickly fled the scene – and, it seems, so did the bear. The next video shows her back inside the concession stand and locking the door behind her so the bear can’t return.
According to eyewitness reports shared with TMZ, managers, and staff came to check on the server, who seemed to have sustained some kind of arm injury judging by the way she was holding her arm. However, as per a representative for the City of Gatlinburg, she reportedly declined medical treatment.
As a result of the incident, patrons were apparently locked in the park for 30 minutes until management allowed them to leave. Guests received few updates during this time.
A representative for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has since told TMZ that the bear hasn’t been caught but will ultimately be euthanized when or if they manage to locate it. It’s thought that humans have been feeding the bear, which is what drove it to check out the park in its search for more food.
Bears can be found in 40 of the 50 United States. Considering the fact that Anakeesta promises “an authentic Smoky Mountain experience” – and that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to approximately 1,500 bears – it’s not totally out of the blue for a bear to make its way onto the property. Bears have previously been filmed stealing from trash cans in the ironically named Black Bear Village at the park.
When guests aren’t locked away from bears, they can enjoy attractions such as The Hellbender Smoky Mountain Coaster, the Treetop Sky Walk, and the Rail Runner Smoky Mountain coaster. The latter sends guests flying down a 1,600-foot single rail track at up to 25 mph.
What’s your wildest theme park experience?