Visitor At Tennessee Theme Park Narrowly Avoids Family Of Bears On Coaster

Visitors to Gatlinburg and the Great Smokey Mountains have been known to see a bear or two in their travels, but one park goer at a Gatlinburg theme park got the shock of their life when a family of bears crossed the tracks of the coaster they were on.

TikTok user @ricktock69 posted a series of videos documenting several bears near a mountain coaster in Anakeesta Theme Park. In one video, a family of bears can be seen crossing the track of a mountain coaster as a person on the ride slowly made their way toward the bears. The heart-stopping video has been viewed more than 10 million times.

Many comments on the video expressed concern and their relief when the bears finally crossed over, but one commenter said the person could have been in real danger.

"Everybody's laughing but that is a mama bear with cubs," they said. "That person is lucky to be alive."

After the TikTok went viral, Anakeesta Park officials released a statement to FOX News:

"The video that appeared on TikTok of Anakeesta Rail Runner mountain coaster illustrates the outdoor nature of our 72 acre family theme park. Our property is literally a stone's throw away from the boundary of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It is not uncommon to see a family of bears in our park, or in Gatlinburg, the gateway city to the national Park."

Officials said the mama bear in the video, known as "Ana," has been seen around the park since 2017.

Photo: Getty Images, TikTok