Those with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources are again reminding everyone to be aware after several bear sightings in the Greenville area in recent days. A SCDNR spokesperson said the hot conditions and less natural food nearby were factors in 120 reported Upstate bear sightings in June, up from 75 in May. Wildlife experts said bear sightings, while not uncommon, should not cause panic, but they are still reminding the public of certain precautions to make bears less likely to roam around their property. One of those sightings happened in Greenville’s Parkins Mills area, where a black bear spent hours on a street last week.“I was shocked. Really surprised,” Larry York said.“Came in from somewhere, hungry, roaming the streets,” added Austin Idol. That is how those on Vintage Avenue Thursday, June 25, when a city of Greenville Code Enforcement supervisor took a picture of a black bear running and alerted those on the block.“There was a couple of people out in the front yard, and he yelled to them, said, ‘Watch out, there’s a bear here,’” York said. Neighbors tell WYFF News 4 the bear made its way up a tree before it eventually came down and walked away after sundown.Keep up with what’s happening around our area by downloading the WYFF News 4 app on the App Store or Google Play.“He got up on under the spotlight, the streetlight. He was big, I mean, he was really big,” York added. The sighting is not isolated in our area in recent days. The city of Greenville said a doorbell camera caught a bear on Lanneau Drive near McDaniel Avenue. In addition, a viewer sent a video of a young black bear on White Horse Road heading toward Martin Drive in Berea. Another viewer emailed about a bear roaming last week in Anderson, not far off Exit 19 on Interstate 85. To make bear encounters less likely, those at the SCDNR remind the public to secure food, garbage and recycling, never leave pet food outdoors, clean and store grills, and remove bird feeders when bears are more active. The SCDNR also said blackberries coming in later than normal limited natural food sources for bears and made their movement into urban areas more likely.

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

Those with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources are again reminding everyone to be aware after several bear sightings in the Greenville area in recent days.

A SCDNR spokesperson said the hot conditions and less natural food nearby were factors in 120 reported Upstate bear sightings in June, up from 75 in May.

Wildlife experts said bear sightings, while not uncommon, should not cause panic, but they are still reminding the public of certain precautions to make bears less likely to roam around their property.

One of those sightings happened in Greenville’s Parkins Mills area, where a black bear spent hours on a street last week.

“I was shocked. Really surprised,” Larry York said.

“Came in from somewhere, hungry, roaming the streets,” added Austin Idol.

That is how those on Vintage Avenue Thursday, June 25, when a city of Greenville Code Enforcement supervisor took a picture of a black bear running and alerted those on the block.

“There was a couple of people out in the front yard, and he yelled to them, said, ‘Watch out, there’s a bear here,’” York said.

Neighbors tell WYFF News 4 the bear made its way up a tree before it eventually came down and walked away after sundown.

Keep up with what’s happening around our area by downloading the WYFF News 4 app on the App Store or Google Play.

“He got up on under the spotlight, the streetlight. He was big, I mean, he was really big,” York added.

The sighting is not isolated in our area in recent days.

The city of Greenville said a doorbell camera caught a bear on Lanneau Drive near McDaniel Avenue.

In addition, a viewer sent a video of a young black bear on White Horse Road heading toward Martin Drive in Berea. Another viewer emailed about a bear roaming last week in Anderson, not far off Exit 19 on Interstate 85.

To make bear encounters less likely, those at the SCDNR remind the public to secure food, garbage and recycling, never leave pet food outdoors, clean and store grills, and remove bird feeders when bears are more active.

The SCDNR also said blackberries coming in later than normal limited natural food sources for bears and made their movement into urban areas more likely.