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By Maria Azzurra Volpe
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A couple from Los Angeles, California, filmed an unexpected guest enjoying a hot summer day in their pool, but instead of kicking them out they decided to adapt and "coexist."
In a viral Instagram video shared in August under the username @poolbearlife, a big bear can be seen jumping into the poster's pool, playing with their cupcake floatie and their bubble lanterns as she freshen up from the heat.
"Punky's cupcake float moment still lives rent-free in our heads. Yeah, that's a real cool bear on a cupcake-shaped pool float. Not A.I. just pure pool bear bliss. We all need Punkys and cupcakes in our life," reads layover text in the clip.
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The poster, Brian Gordon, told Newsweek, that he and his partner, Ricardo Martinez, are trying to promote coexistence with the bears and other local wildlife by letting their followers know they feel safe but are cautious not to approach them.
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"I wouldn't say [they're] friendly, but they certainly are not aggressive towards us. They're more indifferent. If they see us outside, they generally just walk the other way and avoid us," he said.
"If we see them outside, we stay inside and just let them be as they're normally only passing through the yard or if it's hot, they jump in the pool to cool off then leave."
According to Gordon, bear pool time is generally only a few minutes, then they back off to the national forest, which starts at the back of their home, only about 75 feet from the pool.
"Punky Bear, we've named her that since she is a fun, curious teenage type bear. We mostly just catch [the bears] on the exterior cameras," he said.
"Because our house is next to the national forest, we're the first house when they're leaving the forest area. We've learned to coexist with them but had to learn valuable lessons like never leaving out trash, not leaving our windows open, don't' accidentally leave food in the cars, etc.
"We're excited to see them passing thru, just like we're excited to see the other wildlife in this area like bobcats, deer, coyotes, mountain likes and such."
North America has three bear species, all omnivores eating both plants and animals.
The American black bear is the most common, found across much of Canada and 40 U.S. states, with up to 900,000 individuals. Despite its name, it comes in various colors. The grizzly or brown bear lives in parts of Canada and the U.S., with coastal types called brown or Kodiak bears and inland ones called grizzlies.
Some consider the Kodiak a separate subspecies. Polar bears live in remote Arctic regions, with a stable population of about 26,000, though they're now considered vulnerable due to climate change and human threats.
The video quickly went viral on Instagram and it has so far received over 522,000 views and 37,000 likes on the platform.
One user, Muffintop.doesnotstop, commented: "How does one get a pool bear?"
Glh_89 said: "I honestly honestly love that you just let these beautiful animals live their best lives by getting to cool down & just have fun in the pool with let's be honest their floaties. Thank you for just letting them live."
Sarahjalainecolgan added: "Soooo if you ever decide to sell your house, could you let me know, please?"
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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