Bear Cubs Escape Heat With A Swim In Pasadena Pool

PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — With temperatures reaching into the triple digits Monday many Southland residents sought relief from the heat in their swimming pools.

Two bear cubs must have thought they, too, would go for a dip when they waded into the pool at a Pasadena home -- much to the surprise of the family living there.

Homeowner Maral Shekerdemian told CBS2/KCAL9 that she put aside her shock to capture video of the bears swimming, and playing with a vacuum line floating on the surface, at about 3 p.m.

"I see two little cubs in my swimming pool and they were just having a great time swimming, and pulling the vacuum out and just having a blast...like little kids," Shekerdemian said.

The bears walked off at about 3:15 p.m. and climbed a tree, where they napped after their swim.

The animals eventually returned to the Angeles National Forest near Pasadena without further incident.

"It's a lovely area -- we like it and they like it, and so far we've cohabited," said neighbor Margaret Sedenquist, who spotted the bear cubs with their mother Monday morning in the canyon below her backyard deck. She said the bears have visited before, during hot weather, to drink from the sprinklers in her yard.

Fish and game wardens advised the family to bang pots and pans to drive the bears away in the future. They said the visit was not completely unexpected -- not only was the pool inviting in the summer heat but Monday was trash day and bears enjoy dumpster diving.