Curious Bear Cubs Manage to Sneak Into Car in Video Viewed 13M Times

A family of bears was recorded exploring a clearing where two cars were parked at a vacation rental log in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Eventually, two cubs managed to climb into one of the cars through an open window.

"They smell something in your car, bro," someone said in the background of Levi Kim's video, which was posted to his TikTok account @levi.s2k and received more than 13 million views. A black bear is standing on top of the first car before it leaps down.

The camera pans to reveal another black bear peering inside a second car just across the clearing.

"I should have got bear insurance," another voice said.

The bears continued their exploration until a startling realization settles into the group, dubbed in the video as a "classic Mark Ryan moment."

"Your window's open, Mark!" a group member exclaimed.

Sure enough, a bear cub climbed through the car window, and a second cub tumbled into the vehicle after it.

The TikToker posted several other videos showing bears prowling the property and appearing on the deck. A subsequent video showed the two cubs climbing out of the car. They continued to crawl on the car until the vehicle's owner set off the car alarm. The two cubs then hopped off of the car and scurried into the woods.

According to the National Park Service, black bears will eat almost everything. They're intelligent, but those that have been fed human food may begin to associate it with campsites, bags, garbage cans and cars with food. They may eat anything with a scent of food, including soaps, trash and toiletries.

Black bears are the most common species of bear in North America and can be found in a variety of environments.

Kim told Newsweek that he and his friends spotted bears in Smoky Mountain National Park and a shopping strip in Gatlinburg.

"The mother and cubs seen in the videos were the only ones that visited us during our stay," he said.

TikTok viewers wondered what they would have done if they experienced the same situation.

"My toxic trait is thinking I could prevent this by simply hugging them," one commenter wrote.

"They're like hey we're trying to reach you about your car's [extended] warranty it does not have the bear policy," a viewer joked.

Kim said he and his friends were shocked that the video went viral.

"I honestly just wanted to share a special moment between my friends and I," he said. "We thought it was hilarious and are so happy the rest of the world loved it just as much."

As for the cars, Kim said that aside from some muddy paw prints on the exteriors, no damage was done.

Newsweek previously reported that a black bear was found in an art teacher's car in June.

Mary Jane Yarbrough also happened to be staying in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to take an art class in preparation for the upcoming school year. She woke up to the sound of honking and discovered a black bear stuck in her car.

A police officer managed to usher the bear out of her car, but Yarbrough's car interior was destroyed.