Rick Martinez and Brian Gordon have quite the setup in the foothills of Monrovia, California, and the wild bears in the area agree. In fact, Martinez and Gordon say bears frequently roam around the property and, sometimes, that includes taking a dip in the backyard pool. A bear family recently visited for the most adorable swim lesson ever.
In an Instagram post on Martinez’s public profile, you can see a mom bear and her two cubs enter the backyard and head toward the pool, which, ironically, has a bear floaty sitting next to it. The mother bear goes in the pool for a swim. The cubs prefer to watch and learn.
Several other videos included in the post show the bears wandering around the property, climbing and/or scratching against a tree, and trying to fit under a gate. In an interview with local news, the men tell NBCLA that bears are part of the community. They’ve learned to live with and even enjoy these types of visits.
Watch a mother bear swim in a backyard pool here:
Martinez and Gordon apparently know this bear, and they’ve named her “Maddie.” However, this is the first time they’ve seen Maddie’s cubs.
Other bears have swum in the pool before, destroying pool inflatables in the process. Martinez and Gordon say they know to stay away from the bears and to keep their trash locked up.