Terrifying Moment Bear Being Released From Car Trunk Caught on Camera—'Run'

A video of a man running from a bear inside a car has gone viral on TikTok, where it had 2.1 million views at the time of writing.

The clip was posted by TikTok user Jessica (@jessica.harvey27) on June 15. The footage shows the man leaving the car trunk open before furiously running away.

According to a previous viral video posted on June 14, which showed the bear breaking into the car, the footage was captured in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

In the latest viral clip, a man can be seen holding the handle of a car trunk door. He later opens the door and a bear is seen inside the car trunk. The man is seen immediately running away from the vehicle after the door is opened.

A caption shared with the latest post reads: "but what's in your car? RUN."

The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) warns that while coming across a bear can be exciting, it's important to remember that these bears can be dangerous and "their behavior is sometimes unpredictable."

Though bear attacks are rare, according to the NPS, "attacks on humans have occurred, inflicting serious injuries and death."

A study published in Nature in June 2019 found that attacks by brown bears were reported to be on the rise. A total of 664 attacks were reported between 2000 and 2015 from the three main geographical blocks of the brown bear distribution, including North America.

The study reported an annual attack rate of 39.6 attacks globally, including 11.4 attacks per year in North America.

Most attacks (85.7 percent) resulted in human injury, while 14.3 percent resulted in the death of the person involved, including 24 deaths in North America, according to the study.

The NPS advises that "bear attacks are rare," explaining that most usually "just want to be left alone" and are "only interested in protecting food, cubs, or their space."

There are some safety measures that can be taken to prevent a bear encounter from escalating, such as speaking calmly in low tones and waving your arms slowly (to help the bear know that you're a human and not a prey animal), says the NPS.

The NPS noted that if leaving the area or taking a detour to avoid a bear is impossible, wait until it moves away. "Always leave the bear an escape route," the agency said.

The NPS warns against running or making any sudden movements or loud noises. "Bears can run as fast as a racehorse both uphill and down. Like dogs, they will chase fleeing animals," the NPS said. But if a bear follows you, "stop and hold your ground."

Always check the safety recommendations for your park, which vary based on local bear behavior, the NPS advises.

As hairy as the latest bear encounter may have been, several TikTok users were amused by the bear in the latest clip.

User leanna rena wrote: "The bear was like what are you doing? I was having fun."

Lisa said: "He's like why you messing with my cave..."

User ninna wrote: "The bear was like: 'thanks guys. But I am not leaving. how do you close this???'"

NevaJanée said: "The bear was like did I tell you to disturb me."

Natalee said: "He looks like why is everyone running away from me lol [laugh out loud]."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok.

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