A Southern California couple is gaining attention for unexpected guests who arrived at their property on Monday.
Video captured by one of the men who comes home at lunchtime shows a mother bear and her two cubs enjoying the family pool. The mother bear doesn’t hesitate to jump right in, while the cubs aren’t so sure they’re ready.
Ricky Martinez and Brian Gordon, residents of the home in Monrovia told NBC Los Angeles They have seen the mother bear before and called her Maddie, but this is the first time they have seen the cubs.
“We respect them from a healthy distance,” Martinez said. “We stay away. We let them do whatever they’re doing.”
But the couple admires the bears whenever they are around. “We are the real intruders,” Gordon told NBCLA. “So we never called the police.”
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Bear sightings are common in the foothills of Monrovia
The couple purchased a bear-shaped flotation device in case the bear family decides to come back to play. One bear in particular loves swimming with an inflatable unicorn that the couple keeps replacing because it is constantly blown up by the bear.
Although there are several bears, Maddie is their favorite. They even have a painting of her in their living room, NBCLA showed.
“She even crashed our pool parties if we were grilling,” Gordon shared with the affiliate.
In the foothills of Monrovia, bear sightings are common, but when mating season begins, residents have to be more careful when storing trash, as it attracts the larger, more dangerous male bears.
Above all, local residents enjoy sharing their space with their furry friends.
“This was my home! I miss my bears ”, commented one woman on the post first shared on Instagram.
“That’s cool that you respect bears! I loved your bear pool float.,” wrote another.
Many others shared their excitement for future bear content.
“We are always amazed when we see the [them], especially a mother bear with cubs. We’ve never seen puppies like this before, and it was the cutest thing ever,” Martinez shared with NBCLA.
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: Bear family seen cooling off in the pool at their California home: watch
