South Carolina: Videos of bear family, bear in lake

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Two WYFF News 4 viewers shared a video over the weekend of bears, and they are both sure to get a lot of attention.

(Above video was published on July 25, 2023)

The video sent in by the Wheeler family, of Blue Ridge, and Warr family, of Greer, was taken Saturday, when temperatures soared into the high 90s, making the "feels like" temperature climb above 100 degrees.

Heat like that apparently makes a bear want to take a dip — and that's just what a bear did in Lake Jocassee.

Glenn Wheeler said four adults and two teenage girls were on the boat when they caught the furry guy on video.

"Black bear came down and swam at the beach where our family was swimming on Lake Jocasee Saturday," Wheeler said.

He said it was a first for everyone, but he had encountered bears before while riding motorcycles and hunting in the Upstate.

It made for a memorable day at the lake.

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More memories were made when a whole family of bears showed up at the door of WYFF News 4 viewer Jeffrey Lopez.

"We have had a house on Lake Keowee since 2007 and have never had a problem with bears until this year," Lopez said of the video. "They have gotten into our bear-proof trash cans twice this summer, and earlier this month, we had a big black bear with her five cubs on our front porch."

He said the video was taken from his Ring doorbell camera.

Lopez wanted to know if there is something different about or an increase in the bear population this year.

We took his question to Greg Lucas, with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Here is his response:

"The bear population in the Upstate is certainly doing well, as evidenced by videos and stories reported by your viewers. It’s impossible to say with scientific certainty that the bear population is increasing, but some indicators, such as the record harvest in last year’s bear season, certainly confirm that the black bear population is a healthy one."

He reminded anyone, especially homeowners repeatedly dealing with bears, about the principles of BearWise, which helps people live responsibly with bears.

If a bear is in your yard:

And follow the Six At-Home BearWise Basics: