Why July is America's peak month for bear encounters

A bear walking through a parking lot in Gatlinburg, Tennessee is not the start of a joke. It is July — America's peak month for bear encounters.

That means thousands of run-ins with people this month alone, from poolside snack raids in Tennessee to bears spotted in New York City's Central Park.

Ashley Hobbs, a state bear biologist in North Carolina, says it comes down to one thing.

"It's all about the food," Hobbs said.

Hobbs says people leave food lying out — and bears can smell it from 10 miles away.

"They're like us, you know. It's easier to run through the McDonald's than it is to go home and cook a full meal," Hobbs said.

Wendy Newman of Asheville, North Carolina, had her own close encounter when a bear smelled her cinnamon waffles and started banging on her door.

"Oh! That's never happened before. I see them in the yard all the time," Newman said.

Newman said she has come to terms with sharing the space.

"Unfortunately, I'm in theirs. They were here before me. That's as much their home as it is my home," Newman said.

Three bears have even been spotted in New York City's Central Park.

Bear encounters are on the rise across the U.S. as human development sprawls into bear habitat and bears increasingly venture into populated areas in search of food.