5:28 PM PT -- A rep for Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency tells TMZ ... the bear hasn't been caught, but if it is -- it will be euthanized. We're also told that city officials suspect the bear ended up here as a result of human behavior ... namely, the likelihood that humans were feeding it.

However, a rep for Anakeesta tells us they're not aware of anyone at the park going out of their way to feed the animal. In any case ... it'll meet its maker if/when it's found.

2:18 PM PT -- A rep the City of Gatlinburg tells TMZ ... the employee in question declined medical treatment, even though first responders arrived at the scene -- including agents for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The City says the bear fled the area ... and it doesn't sound like it was caught.

A Tennessee amusement park employee barely escaped with her life after a bear attacked her while on the job ... and the whole thing's on video, which we got a hold of.

The incident went down at Anakeesta -- a theme park in Gatlinburg, Tenessee -- Thursday evening and, it all kicked off when a bear walked into a concession stand on the grounds and started raiding the place for snacks ... something patrons got a front-row seat to.

While many guests stood around and filmed the ferocious furball nibbling on food, a server clearly didn't get the memo that there was a bear in the building ... 'cause she turned the corner into the shack -- and came face-to-face with the creature, only to get lunged at.

Check out the clip obtained by TMZ ... the bear rears up and makes contact with the woman who quickly runs away from it -- the video doesn't show how exactly she escapes the creature, but eventually, she gets in the concession stand and locks the door behind her.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... managers and staff came to check on the server -- and, it seemed she was pretty much fine ... although she did appear to be holding her arm in pain. She later walked away with management ... and it's unclear if she got sent to the hospital.

Unfortunately for the patrons, they couldn't get away as fast as they may have liked ... 'cause we're told people weren't allowed to leave with the bear still on the loose.

A patron we spoke to claims management locked huge gates at the exit and held people for roughly 30 minutes before they eventually let them leave. Many people were understandably scared ... and, we're told they received little update from management and staffers.

Worth noting ... Anakeesta brands itself an adventure park fully immersed in nature -- more national park than Disneyland, that's for sure -- so, it's not uncommon for patrons to see wild critters during their visits.

No word on what happened to the bear ... we've hit cops to see what became of it, and whether it was ultimately captured. We've reached out to Anakeesta ... so far, no word back.