Wild bear cubs that were caught on camera frolicking in a backyard pool in Southern California are going viral for their irresistible cuteness.
A female bear has found the perfect playground for her two cubs in real estate agent and wildlife lover Ashley Howie’s backyard.
Mother bear Bella’s two “destructive” cubs cannot get enough of pool time and have even decimated the hyacinth plants that the realtor planted for small fish, eating them “down to the nub.”
But Bella had the perfect go-to tactic for corralling her cheeky cubs, for a while: grabbing them by the scruff and heaving them out of the pool.
“I had never seen that before, but it was adorable!” Ms. Howie told The Epoch Times. “Now she ignores them and walks away until they follow. She doesn’t pull them anymore, unfortunately.”
Smart mom, Bella, also makes time for herself.
“Once she put the cubs in a tree next door, like a babysitter, and walked all the way back over and sat right in [the pond],” Ms. Howie said. “It makes me happy to see them appreciate the water sources.”
During the summer, the bears are seen often since they use the water source to cool themselves off.
“These bears get quiet during winter and change their schedules, coming out more at night, but they’re always around. With our climate, they don’t really hibernate,” Ms. Howie said.
The pandemic allowed Ms. Howie to create a virtual listing model, giving her more time to work from home. It was then she discovered just how much wildlife passed through her yard on a daily basis.
The first time bears visited Ms. Howie’s backyard, she called the authorities. She has since learned that animals are simply passing through in search of food and water. In May 2022, she started filming a female bear named Meg and her cubs and was encouraged by netizens to provide fresh water, so she installed a pond in a spot of unused space between two trees.
In October 2022, she picked up a galvanized tub, and, in spring 2023, she added a small pond donated by her neighbor, making three water sources for the splash-happy bears. She usually shoots footage using a Samsung 22 Ultra cellphone or one of her 12-strong collection of trail cams. Posting her videos on social media, she has garnered a huge following.
“It’s honestly been one of the best things I’ve ever done,” she said. “I get comments all the time that the videos brighten people’s day, that they look forward to them. It also gives me the opportunity to educate others on how these urban bears coexist with humans.”
Ms. Howie, who dreamed of becoming a marine biologist as a child, has been featured on local news channels for her bear and mountain lion sightings. She hopes more visibility for these majestic beasts will encourage people to notice just how many traits we share.
“Watching the bears with their cubs is very relatable, both by what the cubs pull, and how the moms react,” Ms. Howie said. “I wish other communities and authorities would see this, and use a coexisting model like we have here. ... small changes, such as keeping screens locked, having bear-proof trash cans, and not leaving food out, are some of the best ways to live safely together.”
