Bear goes wild in SC man’s backyard and it’s all caught on 2 videos. Take a look
Ron Greene had just finished breakfast and was washing his dish in the sink when he looked out the window and saw something standing in his yard.
He thought it was a man.
He looked again and saw it was a bear, swatting at his bird feeder.
Greene grabbed his phone and eased out his backdoor, standing close to the house in the event he had to hightail it back in. His video was a hit on social media.
Greene was surprised the animal was in his yard on Old Easley Bridge Road in Greenville County because it’s a fairly busy road.
South Carolina wildlife officials say backyard black bears are becoming more common as growth roars across state.
Tammy Waldrop, a wildlife biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said her agency is in the middle doing field work for a bear count to confirm what they already believe.
She said the increase is a result of good acorn and fruit production during the past several years.
“Plentiful natural food promotes good reproductive success and there have been numerous sightings of 3+ cubs in a litter making it all the way through the summer,” she said.
More sightings and interactions, but so far no attacks.
She said several hundred reports of sightings and complaints are made each year, most of them about bears eating food left outside or property damage associated with food.
Bears like bird feeders and trash. Also, pet food, chicken coops, bee hives and fruit trees.
Moving them is not an option, she said.
“There are no true wilderness areas left to take them to,” she said. “Bears travel all across the state using rivers and creek systems, powerline right of ways, railroad right of ways, and other greenways.”
No black bear attacks or deaths have occurred in South Carolina, but have in other parts of the United States and Canada, particularly out west. Six deaths were reported since 2000, including one in 2023 of a man sitting in a chair at a campsite in Arizona. All six were considered unprovoked.
Two cases in South Carolina were reported in recent years of people feeding bears from their back porches. One bear was taken 90 miles away but was back within a week, DNR said.
Waldrop said the bears know the rivers and creeks and can find their way back easily.
South Carolina has a brief black bear hunting season open only during October in Greenville, Oconee and Pickens. Bears are also hit by cars with some regularity.
Greene said he doesn’t think the bear saw him but he does believe the bear knew he was there. Greene also filmed the bear running away and then knocking down and barreling over his wooden fence.
He’s heard reports from neighbors that they, too, have seen bears recently.
“He’s just hungry, I guess,” Greene said. “He didn’t get much out of my feeder.”
DNR has these tips for dealing with bears:
Do not feed bears. Wild bears are not a threat. They are wary of humans. Fed bears not so much.
Bring bird feeders in at night.
Never approach a bear for any reason.
Have a plan of action for dealing with bears and be sure everyone understands it.
If you are traveling with small children, make sure you know where they are at all times.
Carry pepper spray, which will stop a charging bear if sprayed into the bear’s eyes, nose and mouth.
Bears charge at high speed on all four legs. Most charges are bluffs, and bears often stop or veer to the side at the last moment.
Do not play dead if the charge is no bluff. Act aggressively. Defend yourself. Jump up and down, shout, and wave your arms. Throw rocks.
Do not run because that bear is coming after you and can run faster than you — 30-35 miles per hour. Sprinter Usain Bolt 27.5. You’re not Bolt.
