Sometimes, a bear just needs a relaxing float in a pond on a summer day. A rescued bear named Sonya knows how to do it right, based on a recent YouTube video from the Orphaned Wildlife Center. The nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center in Otisville, New York said: “Notice how [Sonya] effortlessly floats with her toes adorably protruding. Truly delightful to behold.”
Honestly, it is delightful. In the two-minute video, you can see Sonya floating with just her back paws and head poking out of the water. Then, she swims to the side of the pond, plays with a piece of driftwood for a while, then goes back to floating on her back. At one point, she has all four paws and her head above the water.
It looks very peaceful, like she has no cares in the world.
Watch a bear float in a pond here:
The Orphaned Wildlife Center’s goal is to provide a safe home for orphaned animals and prepare them to return to a life in the wild. Unfortunately, Sonya, a Syrian brown bear, isn’t a candidate for release.
“All of the Syrian brown bears came to us from a breeding program that was in place to try to save the species,” the Orphaned Wildlife Center says on its website. “The Syrian bears are very endangered and the hope was to start a breeding program to save them. When that fell through, some of those bears came to us.”
Because Syrian brown bears are not native to the United States, the center can’t release them. However, it certainly seems like Sonya is making the most of her carefree life.