a bear swims in a Southern California pool
ABC7

Black Bear Caught Swimming in Backyard Pool During Heavy Rain Storm

The last thing any homeowner expects to see while staring forlornly at their pool on a rainy day is a bear swimming in it. But that is exactly what happened to one Southern California homeowner. During the massive rainstorms that hit the state in the last couple of weeks, a bear decided to take a dip in a Monrovia pool. According to ABC Los Angeles, Donna Hargett captured the bear's jaunt in the water on video.

The curious bear was completely unfazed by the rain as it swam a few laps in the pool. He didn't seem to mind that he was under surveillance either. He looked back a few times at Hargett as she recorded him, but he was having too great of a time swimming to let it ruin his day. If the rain wasn't going to dampen his spirits, a human documenting his midday swim wasn't going to bother him either.

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After a few laps, the bear lugged himself out of the pool, shook off the excess water, and carried on with his day. Viewers on YouTube loved seeing the bear splashing about in the water. One viewer wrote in the comments, "1st reaction: omg SO CUUUUTE! a moment later: OMFG Did you see how effortlessly that bear pulled all 1000 lbs of itself out of that pool by 2 arms. Can you imagine THAT kind of upper-body strength??? One swipe of that paw and SNAP there goes your spine." Of course, this is why experts say to keep your distance from these massive mammals. They may look cuddly, but they can take you out in an instant. 

Another commenter said he was likely looking for fish in the water, hungry for a midday snack. A few commenters brought up his color. The bear looks brown in the video, but there are only black bears in California. One viewer wrote, "There are no brown bears in California. The last one was killed by hunters decades ago. This is a black bear that happens to have brown colored fur. For those of you who may not know, brown bears are grizzly bears." Many appreciated the clarification, as they didn't know cinnamon bears existed. Most commenters just thought he was adorable and loved the positive video. One added, "Wait til the bear discovers the hot tub. He'll be bringing the whole gang for a party!"

READ MORE: How Fast Can Grizzlies and Black Bears Run?