A bear in California broke into a house to raid the refrigerator before heading over to the neighbors for a few laps in their pool.
The animal was first spotted by Chelsea Mapanda, who came home after a night out on Tuesday to find her kitchen ransacked – and paw prints leading to the fridge.
The young bear had eaten mangoes, avocado and guava jam, she said KTL – adding that she heard noises in her garage, so she called the police.
“It really just tried a little bit of everything: a little bit of grain, jars of things,” she said.
“It opened everything up, sweet things. Sweet treats, something we would all do.”
Footage captured on a Ring camera showed the bear swimming laps in a swimming pool, hours after raiding a nearby kitchen
The bear dipped a paw before deciding to go for a swim on Wednesday evening
Chelsea Mapanda found paw prints (pictured) in her kitchen, from the open refrigerator
The bears consume about 20,000 calories a day, said Mackenzie Rich of the wildlife department — and their noses are seven times stronger than a bloodhound’s.
Rich said there had been a spike in reported bear sightings in the area, and they were keen to tag the bear to monitor its whereabouts.
The bear left Mapanda’s house in the early hours of Wednesday.
It was the same bear spotted taking a dip on Wednesday evening in a neighbor’s pool around 6:30 p.m.
The animal can be seen dipping a toe into the water and then diving into the water. Instead of climbing out, he takes a dip in the pool.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials were dispatched to the area and said they plan to “resolve this matter quickly and safely for both people and animals.”
Wildlife sightings in the area, which lies at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, are not uncommon.
One homeowner saw this bear, which may have been the same one that went swimming
Bears are often seen in the Sierra Madre
Laura Aguilar, a spokesperson for the city of Sierra Madre, said people and animals interact frequently.
‘We do encounter some wild animals. We have bears and coyotes here,” Aguilar said.
Mapanda said she hoped the story would encourage people to educate themselves on what to do if they encounter a bear.
“I’m glad people are more aware now that these sightings are happening,” she said.
“And hopefully better informed about what to do if they encounter one.”
In July, DailyMail.com shared footage of a mother bear and her baby taking a dip in a Southern California pool in the middle of a heat wave.
Footage was captured of the brown bears splashing around in the outdoor pool.
The two are seen playing at the edge of the pool before the mother bear sticks her front paws in.
She then jumps in and causes a large amount of water to splash out of the pool.
The two bears are then seen briefly playing in the water before the baby steps out and disappears from view.
A Southern California homeowner caught a mother bear and her baby taking a dip in her pool to stay cool in July
Bear sightings are said to become more common as the summer months get warmer and people spend more time outdoors.
The National Park Service recommends keeping your distance from bears, avoiding sudden movements that could startle an animal, or hiding and startling them.
“Be aware of your surroundings and do your best to stand out if you are in an area with known bear activity or a good food source, such as berry bushes.”
Bear attacks are rare, experts say. Most will only attack when they feel threatened, to defend their cubs or to protect food.