Mother bear charges man who gets too close to cubs

CADES COVE, Tenn. (FOX 13) - A mother bear charged at a man after he got too close to her and her cubs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

Paige Marple, who was at the park on Saturday, took video of the bear and her cubs as they emerged from the tall grass and headed toward the road where cars were parked. 

Then, for unknown reasons, the man approached the bears as they moved toward the road and the mother bear charged him. Luckily for him, she backed off as the man backed away.

It is illegal to come within 50 yards of the bears at the park and officials say it's key to everyone's safety that the animals are left alone. 

"I just knew he was going to end up in a body bag," Marple said. "How he didn't is beyond me."