News - Local/State

Wednesday, May. 21, 2008

Wandering black bear causes two schools in Columbia area to keep students indoors

COLUMBIA -- A young black bear wandered near two Lexington County schools near Red Bank on Tuesday, prompting school officials to ban outdoor activity for the day.

A Gilbert couple captured video of what probably was the same bear on Sunday, when it explored their backyard near U.S. 1 for nearly 90 minutes.

Wildlife officials recommend residents in rural areas around Gilbert, Red Bank and Lexington empty bird feeders, batten down outdoor trash cans and keep pet food inside.

If people treat black bears with caution and respect, they pose little threat. Nobody has been injured in a bear attack in the state in recorded history, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

Bear-human encounters have increased in the past 15 years as development moves into traditional bear habitat in the mountains and along the coast.

Of course, Lexington County isn't typical black bear habitat. That's why Natalie and Wes Gunter were stunned when they looked out their back window Sunday afternoon.

"My husband told me I had to come see this dog. It was the biggest dog he'd ever seen," Natalie Gunter said.

Upon closer look, they realized it wasn't a dog at all.

The bear scarfed down all the seeds in a recently filled bird feeder, carefully licking through the holes rather than chomping down on the plastic. The Gunters captured his antics in photos and video.

As darkness fell, "he just took off down the driveway like nothing," Natalie Gunter said.

They contacted the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, but authorities didn't take action until Tuesday, when several other sightings were reported in the Red Bank area, beginning about 6:30 a.m.

A deputy responding to a call saw the bear along a wood line near Carolina Springs elementary and middle schools around 8 a.m., according to the Lexington County Sheriff's Department.

School officials shut down outdoor activities at the two schools and made extra efforts to make sure students who walk to school made it safely to the buildings, said District 1 spokeswoman Mary Beth Hill.

The bear was spotted on Woodhurst Drive and Ridge Hill Drive, and was tracked near Nazareth Road, according to the sheriff's department.

120 to 125 pounds

On the basis of the size of tracks, wildlife authorities estimate the bear weighs 120 to 125 pounds. In the video from the Gilbert area, the bear stands on its hind legs with its head even with a bird feeder about 6 feet off the ground. Prominent ears indicate it's young.

While wildlife officials can't be sure the sightings were of the same bear, it's likely. Young males usually are forced to leave mountain families in their second spring. The youngsters often wander along river wildlife corridors before returning to their home areas.

The Saluda River runs down from the mountains into Lake Murray, serving as a highway for a wandering bear. There were three sightings of black bears in Lexington County last year that DNR considered legitimate, but none in Richland County.

The species, once common throughout the state, now lives mostly in five mountain counties (Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg) and three coastal counties (Horry, Georgetown and Marion). But black bears wander enough that they were spotted in 30 of 46 counties last year.

Wildlife officers do capture and relocate bears when the animals are in highly populated areas and appear to have no easy escape corridor. More typically, young bears disappear after a few days in more populated areas.

"This does happen occasionally," said Charles Ruth of the Department of Natural Resources. "It'll be seen X number of times, then, like a light switch being turned off, it'll disappear and never be seen again."