Live in the US and have a swimming pool? Expect bears in your backyard every summer

Summers are becoming hotter each year. This year marked two heat records: July and August were the hottest months in recorded history.

Humans are not the only ones suffering from it.
Pools and ponds have become the perfect spot to cool off for bears throughout the US every summer. Incidents involving backyard visits from the species are increasing.

In the summer of 2023, residents and local police departments recorded such incidents in places as different as Massachusetts and California.

One incident occurred in Pembroke, Massachusetts. A resident recorded a bear entering her backyard and taking a dip in her pool to cool off. She shared the video on social media.

The first incident seemed harmless. However, the second in the same area of Massachusetts involved a couple of scared children alone in the house when they spotted a black bear entering their pool.

The witnesses called Hingham Animal Control. According to local media, the department said the bear was likely the same one that entered the Pembroke pool that same month.

On the other side of the country, in Simi Valley, California. The temperatures had reached 108°F, and a resident spotted a bear using his backyard pool.

The incident was identical to what had happened a few weeks before in Burbank, California. The residents called the local police, who shared footage of the animal on social media.

Image: Burbank Police (@BurbankPD) / Twitter

The Burbank Police Department took the opportunity to remind residents of the safety measures they must take when encountering a bear.

If this happens in your backyard, remember to stay inside the house with locked doors and give the bear space so it will not feel intimidated.

To avoid these incidents, it is also essential to secure your surroundings: secure waste and recycling bins, clean and store your grills, and remove pet or bird feeders from your yard.