'Huge' black bear causes excitement in Taylors, Greenville County neighborhoods

AT LEASTNE O DOSE RESIDENTS IN TAYLORS HAD AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR OVER THE WEEKEND A BLACK BEAR WAS SPOTTEDN I AT LEAST TWO NEIGHBORHOODS NEAR WADE, HAMPTON BOULEVARD OUR JENNIFER REDDY. SPEOK WITH NEIGHBORS WHO SAY BEAR SIGHTINGS LIKE THIS ARE RARE. IN BRIAN MCKINNEY’ NSEIGHBORHOOD IT’S NOT UNUSUAL TO SEE SOME WILDLIFE. WEEE S DEER ALL THE TIME ANDN O THE WOODS AROUND HERE, BUT THIS WAS A SURPRISE VISITOR. OBVIOUSLYOU Y NEVER SEE BEARS AROUND NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE THIS MCKINNEY SAYS HE WAS INSIDE HIS HOUSE WHEN HIS WIFE SPOTTED A BLACK BEAR NEAR THEIR FENCE IN THE BACKYARD. IT JUST MADE HIS WAY THROUGH AND KE PT GOING. SEEM LIKE A YOU KNOW THE SCARY SITUATION, BUT IT WAS JTUS KIND OF YOU KNOW SURREAL. I GUESS LSES THAN TWO MILES AWAY AND JUST A FEW HOURS LATER. THERE’S A BLACK. BEAR COVERT SAYS SHE SAW BLACK BEAR IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND QU ICKLY HURRIED HER DAUGHTERS INSIDE. OBVIOUSLY. WAS FREAKED OUT. LIKE I DIDN’T WAS WALKING IN THE IN THE DRIVEWAY LIKE LOOKING FOR IT NOT THINKING IT WAS IN OUR PROPERTY ALREADY IN THE SIDE OF OUR HOUSE, SO I DEFINITELY WAS LIKE SHOCKING TTHA IT WAS RIGHT THERE MOMENTS LATER THEIR RGIN CAMERA CAPTURED THE BEAR WALKING ACROSS THEIR FRONT YARD, AND I WOULD JTUS NEVER THINK IN A MILLION YEARS THAT THERE WOULD BE LIKE A BEAR COMING UP TO THIS SIDE O OFUR PROPERTY AND WE ALWAYS JOKE ABOUT HOW COOL WOULD BE TO SEE A BEAR WHENEVER WE TRAVEL UP TO, YOU KW,NO THE MOUNTAINS IN TENNESSEE, AND IT WAS PRETTY AMAZING TO SEE ONE COME THROUGH OUR OWN FRONT YARD. THE COVERTS SAY THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THEY’VE SNEE A BEAR IN THE SEVEN YEARS. THEY’VE LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I HOPE THAT IT FOUND ITS WAY BACKND A IT’S MAKING ITS WAY AND IT’S EXCITING. THEY WON’T SOON FORGET.

Some Greenville County neighborhoods got an unexpected visitor that caused some excitement over the weekend.A big black bear was spotted and caught on camera Sunday in at least two places.The first sighting by Brian McKinney happened about 5:50 p.m. in the back yard of his home on Eastwood Drive, in the Old Edwards Mill area of Taylors, between Wade Hampton Boulevard and Reid School Road.McKinney said he was never scared, but the bear was "huge" and had a red tag in his ear. The bear swatted at his two dogs through the fence then casually walked away and out of the yard. "It just made its way through and kept going," McKinney said. "It didn't seem like a scary situation but it was just kind of surreal."The second sighting happened, also in Taylors, about 8:15 p.m. just off of Wade Hampton Boulevard behind the Taylors post office.Ronnie Covert said his wife, Melissa, was at a neighbor's house when they saw a black bear in the area. "She didn't realize she was standing close to it while it rummaged through our neighbor's trash," Covert said. Melissa walked the two doors down to her house to tell her daughters, Hanna, 10, and Ruthi, 5, about it, Covert said.While she was there at the door, she sees the bear and yells for her daughters to get inside as one of them screams."I would just never think in a million years that there would be a bear coming up to the side of our property," Melissa Covert said. The Coverts said this is the first time they have seen a bear in their neighborhood. Covert gave WYFF News 4 the Ring video of that scary incident, as well as another video showing the bear walking near his home at the time. His daughter can be heard on the bear video screaming.Though the encounter made for a few scary moments, no one in either neighborhood was injured.

TAYLORS, S.C. —

Some Greenville County neighborhoods got an unexpected visitor that caused some excitement over the weekend.

A big black bear was spotted and caught on camera Sunday in at least two places.

The first sighting by Brian McKinney happened about 5:50 p.m. in the back yard of his home on Eastwood Drive, in the Old Edwards Mill area of Taylors, between Wade Hampton Boulevard and Reid School Road.

McKinney said he was never scared, but the bear was "huge" and had a red tag in his ear.

The bear swatted at his two dogs through the fence then casually walked away and out of the yard.

"It just made its way through and kept going," McKinney said. "It didn't seem like a scary situation but it was just kind of surreal."

The second sighting happened, also in Taylors, about 8:15 p.m. just off of Wade Hampton Boulevard behind the Taylors post office.

Ronnie Covert said his wife, Melissa, was at a neighbor's house when they saw a black bear in the area.

"She didn't realize she was standing close to it while it rummaged through our neighbor's trash," Covert said.

Melissa walked the two doors down to her house to tell her daughters, Hanna, 10, and Ruthi, 5, about it, Covert said.

While she was there at the door, she sees the bear and yells for her daughters to get inside as one of them screams.

"I would just never think in a million years that there would be a bear coming up to the side of our property," Melissa Covert said.

The Coverts said this is the first time they have seen a bear in their neighborhood.

Covert gave WYFF News 4 the Ring video of that scary incident, as well as another video showing the bear walking near his home at the time. His daughter can be heard on the bear video screaming.

Though the encounter made for a few scary moments, no one in either neighborhood was injured.

'Huge' black bear causes excitement in Taylors, Greenville County neighborhoods

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