Bear Cools Off in Backyard Pond in British Columbia

A homeowner caught a black bear taking a dip in a pond in his backyard in West Kelowna, British Columbia, and captured video as it emerged from the water and disappeared into woodland. Resident Bert TerHorst told Storyful he initially thought the "brown object" was a tree branch that had fallen in but, upon closer examination, realized it was a bear cooling off amid the summer heat. According to https://www.coastmountainnews.com/home2/record-setting-number-of-black-bear-sightings-across-b-c-in-2021/ local media , 2021 was a record-breaking year for bear sightings in British Columbia, with almost 20,000 sightings reported to https://warp.wildsafebc.com/ Wildsafe BC , a monitoring program run by the British Columbia Conservation Foundation. The increase was due in part to wildfires and high temperatures causing disruptions to their normal habits, as well as greater competition for food leading bears into urban areas, Coast Mountain News https://www.coastmountainnews.com/home2/record-setting-number-of-black-bear-sightings-across-b-c-in-2021/ reported. CTV https://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-s-cold-wet-spring-has-bears-venturing-into-neighborhoods-for-food-1.5953289 reported on June 18 that black bears were already being spotted in the Metro Vancouver area due to a scarcity of ripe salmonberries, which bears would usually feast on. (Footage by Bert TerHorst/Storyful via Getty Images UGC)