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Another day, another bear sighting in a southern Mass. swimming pool
One young bear, in particular, seems to be making his rounds in backyard pools across the South Shore this summer.
The bears in Southern Massachusetts are real and they’re swimming in our pools — or at least one of them has been spotted doing so.
On Friday, two Hingham kids happened to be home alone when they noticed a bear cooling off in their backyard pool, WCVB-TV reported.
More bears in pools:
The children did as people are advised to do and stayed inside, so that the bear could have its space, and called for help from Hingham Animal Control, according to the news station.
The town’s animal control officer reportedly responded to the home, clapping and making loud noises to encourage the bear out of the water and away from the property.
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Hingham Animal Control said the bear is likely the same young male that has been spotted around the South Shore over the past month, WCVB reported.
Earlier in the week, a Pembroke family’s Ring camera captured the moment a bear climbed into their above-ground pool. It’s possible this is the same bear, just taking a tour of South Shore pools — can we blame him?
Humans are definitely not the only ones seeking relief from the heat this summer. A video of a bear enjoying a backyard Jacuzzi in Southern California also went viral this week.
Watch the family’s interview with WCVB below:
After animal control coaxed him out of the water, the bear reportedly continued on across the street where neighbor Mike Swiatkowski spotted him taking a leap at a tree on his way out. The Hingham resident shared the video with Boston.com and on YouTube. Watch below:
As a reminder, if a bear wanders into town, community members should leave the bear alone because in most situations; the bear will return to the forest on its own, the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife says on its website.
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As the Hingham kids did, people should give the bear space and not go outside to take photos and videos or approach the bear for any reason.
Property owners should also remove any food sources — bird feeders, garbage, compost, etc. — to prevent conflict with bears, MassWildlife says.
Learn more about black bears and what to do in the event of any encounter at Mass.gov.
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