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If you receive an unexpected knock at your front door, be wary as it could very well be a bear stopping by to visit. While most bears stay within the protection of forests, some have ventured into residential areas, like goofing around on a playground or taking a stroll down a busy boardwalk like other tourists. One woman in South Carolina recently got the surprise of a lifetime when her doorbell camera caught video of a bear roaming around her home.
Wendy Watson was enjoying what started out as any normal Tuesday at her Greenville County home Tuesday (July 26) morning when she got a strange alert on her phone: A bear was caught on a motion-sensing camera looking around her porch and playing outside her house around 3:30 a.m., per WYFF.
"I got up [that] morning and looked at the notifications from my doorbell camera and just about spit coffee," she said.
Video of the incident shows the bear standing outside the door, looking around a bit before wandering off into the yard. Watson said the bear managed to destroy a couple of bird feeders, but there was no other damage. Some people may have gotten worried about seeing a bear in their yard, but Watson, who is president of Wildlife Rehab of Greenville and lives on 31 acres, was less concerned.
"He's fine," she said, adding that "the bear is welcome here."
Check out the video here or watch it below to see what it's like to have a bear come knocking on your door.
A similar incident happened about a week earlier and just down the road, as David Leland claimed to be enjoying his morning coffee before he noticed three bears in his backyard.
"I rushed to the bedroom to get my cellphone and tell my wife," he said. "By the time I got back to the porch, the mama bear had disappeared into the woods, but my wife and I watched in surreal disbelief as the bears played in the morning mist."
He added, "It was a magical morning for sure."
Magical though it may be, you should still steer clear of any wildlife, especially bears, if you see them around. To avoid becoming a victim of a bear's preparation for winter hibernation, avoid keeping food in your car, keep trash contained, lock your car and garage doors and keep an eye on any pets you may have.