600-pound bear passes out in kiddie pool as homeowner watches, Virginia video shows

An overheated bear weighing about 600 pounds muscled his way into a woman’s backyard kiddie pool on Sunday, leading to a series of funny videos posted on Facebook.

Regina Keller of Fort Valley, Virginia, says she and her boyfriend watched the scene from lawn chairs and were more amused than surprised when the bear made itself at home.

Her videos show the panting bear went from cautiously standing in the pool to sleeping in half a minute. The pool is intended for her grandson, who was not around at the time. Fort Valley is about 100 miles west of Washington, D.C.

“The big bear started to check out the little swimming pool, first by taking a drink to quench his thirst, then inserting his huge front paw to test the water a bit,” Keller told McClatchy News in an email.

“We couldn’t help but chuckle when he climbed on in and laid down, with obvious enjoyment and relief, making water pour out of the sides. He relaxed, staying on his tummy for a while then rearranged his big, huge body to lay on his side. ... He was aware of our presence the entire time.”

The scene played out as the South endures a heat wave that has created triple-digit heat indexes in mid-Atlantic states. The temperature in Fort Valley hit 97 degrees on Sunday, according to AccuWeather.

Keller says she watched the bear for more than hour when a car pulled into the driveway and woke it up.

“When car doors opened and he heard the sound of human voices, kids and dogs barking ... he stood up, got out of the pool, shook himself off, and headed back into the forest,” Keller told McClatchy News.

Bears are not an unexpected sight on her property, due to its proximity to the George Washington National Forest, she said. In fact, Keller says she keeps the kiddie pool full lately to provide drinking water to animals during the heat wave. The pool survived the bear’s visit, she said.

“My grandson’s kiddie pool is in great shape and remains filled with water that I refresh daily,” Keller said.

Her videos of the bear visit have been shared hundreds of times this week, and reaction has ranged from shock to a lot of “you’re going to need a bigger pool” jokes.

This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 1:18 PM with the headline "600-pound bear passes out in kiddie pool as homeowner watches, Virginia video shows."