On July 19th, 2020, Regina Keller, who lives in Virginia, was watering her flowers when a 600-pound black bear wandered into her backyard. Regina was pleasantly surprised to see the bear enjoying the family’s kiddie pool, dipping his paw in the water and then taking a quick nap.
“This was the biggest one I’ve seen this year,” Regina told CNN. “He wandered around the backyard… and went over by the pool and dipped his big paw in the water… and then climbed right in and laid down. He seemed so content and refreshed.”
Regina is no stranger to animals stopping by her backyard. She lives in a house adjacent to the George Washington National Forest in Fort Valley, Virginia. So, she is used to a variety of animal visitors including deer and bears. As she reported to CNN, she has been taking pictures of the wildlife in her backyard for 12 years.
In the video she shared on her Facebook page, the black bear looked happy jumping into the blue kiddie pool splashing water onto the grass on a warm summer day in Fort Valley.
After getting comfortable, the adorable bear rested on the pool and snoozed for about an hour before Regina’s grandchildren arrived with their dogs and scared it off.
According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the black bear is the only species out of the three existing ones (black, brown, and polar bears) who live in Virginia. Most black bears in Virginia are true black in color unlike black bears found in more western states that can be shades of red, brown, or blond. Black bears are typically crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn) but can be active any time of day.