Bear Enjoys Hot Tub, Margarita In Altadena

ALTADENA (CBSLA/AP) — Even bears need to unwind with a soak in a hot tub and a margarita after a tough week of roaming Southern California's mountains.

Altadena resident Mark Hough was enjoying a margarita in his backyard last Friday when a bear began climbing over his fence.

Over the course of a few hours, the bear helped itself to Hough's backyard, his hot tub, and the cocktail he had to abandon.

After first spotting the bear, Hough retreated inside, only to later find the furry intruder "bobbling away in the Jacuzzi enjoying himself."

Hough recorded video of the bear lolling in the unheated hot tub with the jets on. The creature played with the chlorinator and tossed the thermometer in the air, Hough said.

"He was playing having a grand old time," he added.

The bear's dip only last a few minutes before it emerged and lumbered around the yard. Then it "popped out of the bushes, walked right over to the margarita, knocked it over and lapped it," Hough said.

About an hour later, Hough was talking to a neighbor when some oak leaves fluttered to the ground. Hough looked up to see the bear slumbering in the tree.

"So he had his margarita, he had his Jacuzzi, and now he's ready for an hour nap," Hough said.

Hough said the bear ultimately hustled away down the street. After the encounter, Hough made himself two margaritas to make up for the one he lost.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it received six bear-sighting calls that day, but failed to find it. Bears frequently make their way into Altadena and other foothill communities to forage for food or find relief from the heat with a dip in a pool.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)