Most people would be scared if they saw a bear playing around in their back yard swimming pool, but not Carl Bovard. He lives in Melrose, Florida with two bears and actively encourages the large beasts to take refreshing dips in his above ground pool. After all, Florida gets really hot and muggy in the summer time and when you carry around a fur coat that you can’t take off, you need to find a quick way to cool down.
Carl videotaped one of his bear friends named Bruiser eagerly climbing up the pool ladder and jumping off the top to do belly flops into the water. From the looks of it Bruiser is definitely a veteran belly-flopper because he doesn’t hesitate for a single second when he clambers up the short ladder and jumps. Once he’s in the pool he bear paddles around and seems to smile as he plays and splashes. Bruiser even looks adorable getting out of the pool, as he uses his two front paws to steady himself while throwing up a rear leg to clamber over the side so he can do it all over again.
Once out, he shakes off the water and ends up getting Carl all wet, but Carl laughs and doesn’t mind the shower. Bruiser looks like such a nice, relaxed, and playful sweetheart, judging by the way he acts in the water, even when he’s chewing on pool toys. This may just be the cutest bear video I’ve come across yet! Bruiser is living the good life at Single Vision, a non-profit animal sanctuary that Carl set up to help rescue animals and educate people about endangered species. He shares the space with two lions, two bobcats, two alligators, two mountain lions, two bears, and six tigers.
Bruiser is a Syrian brown bear, a smaller subspecies of brown bear that are found throughout the Middle East. Their population has been steadily declining from over-hunting, poaching, and habitat loss, and they are listed as a threatened-vulnerable species. Bruiser serves as an animal ambassador for his species to raise awareness of their plight and to help educate people about the reality of their current situation, as well as the future.
He’s a natural at showing people the softer side of brown bears, and proves that they are incredibly smart, playful, and happy animals if treated well. If you would like to donate towards the care of the animals at Single Vision visit their website and check it out.
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