Imagine the surprise of this Rockaway Township, NJ family as they look outside to see a 300-pound black bear taking an afternoon dip in their backyard pool.
The family captured the adorable video from inside their home as the bear enjoyed a playful romp, and then took a leisurely stroll across their lawn. After the bear had left the pool, Dowling encouraged her husband to open the back gate and let him out, and he quickly responded by implying his wife had taken leave of her senses. No one was injured, and the bear eventually made his way out of the Dowling's backyard.
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According to NBC New York, this was not the first bear sighting in the immediate area. A bear had been spotted on the same street just a few days prior. Within the last several weeks, the town has experienced a number of bear sightings. Town officials have warned residents to be aware of the increasing presence of bears and have called on the state to take measures to reduce the number of encounters between bears and humans.
According to The National Park Service, most bears seek to avoid conflict whenever possible and appear to be as fearful of an encounter with a human as humans tend to be when encountering bears. Something alerting them to your presence, such as loud sound, clapping, or banging a trash can lid is often all that is required to scare them away. As the bear population increases, bears are more frequently entering residential areas in search of food.
Bears are often playful by nature. They really enjoy swimming, so the backyard pool may have been entirely too irresistible on this hot August day – surely a feeling to which we can all relate!
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Check out the cheeky bear below, and SHARE if you like it!