The Shocking Damage a Black Bear Can Do to Your Car in the Smokies

Couple gets huge surprise when they wake up to find a black bear in their Jeep on their honeymoon

Millions of people visit the Great Smoky Mountains each year hoping to see black bears in the wild. But these two honeymooners from the Atlanta area got a unique encounter they could bear-ly believe was possible. After they married back in 2020, Blake and Katie Odgers started their journey of marital bliss with a honeymoon to the Smokies. When the couple arrived at their honeymoon cabin in Gatlinburg, Tenn., it wasn’t long before they spotted a black bear on their cabin deck. The bear sniffed around and wandered off. But that wouldn’t be the last time they saw him.

Two honeymooners in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, were woken up one morning by their car alarm. They were surprised to find a large black bear inside. It’s suspected that the black bear had been trapped in the car for some time. This is just one example of why you should practice black bear safety in the Smoky Mountains and always lock your car doors.

The couple gets the surprise of a lifetime

The couple got the wake-up call of a lifetime when they heard a car horn that sounded like it was coming from their 2014 Jeep Cherokee one morning. Looking out the window, the couple did not see anything out of place. So when Blake walked up to the vehicle to investigate, he was surprised to see a large black bear looking back at him after he opened the door.

Of course, Blake turned around quickly and ran back to the cabin. “We thought we had [taken] every precaution … no food in the car, etc,” says Blake. But that didn’t stop the bear’s curiosity. The couple speculates that the black bear opened the car door, climbed in the Jeep, and then became trapped when the car door likely closed behind it – since the vehicle was parked on a hill.

The bear might have been inside the car for hours. At the very least, it was inside the car long enough to do some damage. The interior leather was torn, the gear shift was damaged and the steering wheel was bitten in half. Officer Hunter Finchem answered the couple’s call about the incident. According to Blake, Finchem told them he had never seen a vehicle destroyed quite like this. 

Was the Jeep salvageable?

The Jeep had to be towed away and assessed by insurance adjustors. Blake advises all visitors to the Smokies to double-check their surroundings and always lock car doors. “Always double-check,” says Blake. “Before going to bed, double-check to make sure and just be more aware. You’re in the mountains. This is their home, so just expect and prepare for them to be around. Take every precaution then double-check, even if you feel you have!”

The takeaway: Black bear safety in the Smokies

With every article about bear encounters, I like to remind our readers about the importance of black bear safety. Also, bears have unfortunately learned that cars can make good targets for potential food. Remember to lock car doors, even if you think there’s nothing in the car that might entice a bear. For this reason, always be sure to lock up garbage as well, and never intentionally offer food to a bear.

Remember, it is unlawful to purposefully approach a bear in the Great Smoky Mountains. The National Park Service says, “If your presence causes the bear to change its behavior (stops feeding, changes its travel direction, watches you, etc.) you are too close.”

Have you ever had an encounter like this in the Smokies? Let us know in the comments.

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