Black bears snapped taking a dip in a HOT TUB by shocked couple on a vacation at cabin in the woods
- Knoxville, Tennessee local Elizabeth Strickland and her boyfriend Travis took photos of a bear sitting in the tub outside their cabin in Gatlinburg on Friday
- Strickland said the bears woke up her and her boyfriend around 11am Friday
- The couple looked outside and saw one of the animals bathing in their hot tub
- Other photos show the bears walking along the porch outside the cabin
- The couple decided to let the bears enjoy their soak for a while. Once the animals left, the couple put the lid back on the tub
A vacationing Tennessee couple received a surprise when they found a group of black bears relaxing in their hot tub at a secluded rural cabin.
Elizabeth Strickland and her boyfriend Travis, both from Knoxville, Tennessee, visited a cabin in the town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee near the Appalachian Mountains earlier this week.
The couple were woken Friday morning by the sound of the bears on their porch.
'I saw one walk around a corner of the porch, and I ran into the bedroom to look out the windows at the hot tub and there they were!' Strickland told WKRN.
Knoxville, Tennessee locals Elizabeth Strickland and her boyfriend took photos of a bear sitting in their hot tub outside their vacation cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee Friday morning
Elizabeth Strickland (right) and her boyfriend Travis (left) were visited by black bears on Friday while vacationing at a cabin in the rural town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Strickland said the bears woke up her and her boyfriend around 11am Friday
The couple looked outside and saw one of the animals bathing in their hot tub
'We had the best time watching them!' she continued. 'We have closed everything up now, but they have been back once to check it out again!!'
Strickland's photos show one of the bears straddling the edge of the hot tub and a wooden railing. Another photo shows a bear sitting upright in the tub.
'I was in that same seat 14 hours ago!,' she told WBIR. 'I just had to share with y'all!'
The couple said they waited for the bears to finish their soak and leave before closing up the tub.
Other photos show the bears walking along the porch outside the cabin
The couple decided to let the bears enjoy their soak for a while. Once the animals left, the couple put the lid back on the tub
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Tennessee's black bear population has been on the rise in recent years. In January, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency estimated there are 7,000 bears in the state.
Black bears normally try to avoid encounters with humans, but can be attracted by the trash and food people throw away, according to TWRA's website.
The bear's numbers have swelled across the US in recent years. In 2016, the International Union for Conservation estimated there were 300,000 black bears in the US alone, not including Alaska.
Multiple bear encounters have made the news in recent weeks.
An 84-year-old homeless man was attacked and chased by a 300-pound black bear on April 25 in the Los Angeles suburb of Sierra Madre, California.
A 17-year-old Montana boy fought off a grizzly bear attack on April 12.
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