Bear Takes Swim in Calif. Family's Pool
When it comes to a long holiday weekend, it turns out even bears want in on the fun.
Such was the case in a Los Angeles suburb Monday when two teenage sisters celebrating the Memorial Day holiday spotted a surprise guest in their backyard.
Taking a relaxed, leisurely dip in their family's swimming pool was none other than a black bear, the sisters, Rachel and Valerie Gaspirini, told local TV station KTLA.
"It kind of like walks over to the pool, and we thought it was gonna drink some water," Rachel told the station of what the pair saw from the window of their Monrovia, Calif., home. "It ends up jumping in the ledge, and it's kind of like floating around there, chilling."
Shocked by the site, the sisters did what teenagers will do, they pulled out their cellphones and began recording the bear in their backyard.
The video shows the bear relaxing on a stool and taking in the California view. The sisters said the bear was so calm, including "swimming like he was a person," they said, that they did not feel the need to take action.
"It wasn't any making a ruckus or it wasn't like destroying things in our backyard, so we didn't really feel the need to call anybody," Valerie said of the pair's decision to call their parents, but not 911 or wildlife authorities.
"Yeah, it was more of entertainment than a scare," Rachel said.
After a cool and relaxing dip, the bear scampered off into the brush, the sisters said.