'"Unbearably" hot': Los Angeles resident discovers a giant grizzly bear swimming in his backyard pool to escape the sizzling summer heat after seeing unexplained ripples from inside the house

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Aug 13, 2026 6:45 AM EDT

Apparently, the "bear necessities" this summer include a 12-foot deep swimming pool in a suburban backyard in the hills of L.A. Why is this bear living a better life than we are?

In case you've been living under a rock this summer, it's hot outside. Way hotter than normal, or at least what we remember as "normal". We've seen a wave of rescue stories recently of animals being rescued from this scorching summer heat, which is great, but what are we supposed to do in 5 or 10 years when the whole Earth is 1-2 degrees warmer?

It's so hot, in fact, that if you have a pool in your backyard, you might see some unexpected visitors. Giant, fuzzy, porridge-eating visitors, also known as bears.

CBS News' X page posted this video below of a Los Angeles man filming a living-room-sized grizzly bear cooling off in his pool after seeing some unexplained ripples in the water. After splashing around for a few minutes, the bear apparently did get up and leave, but not before giving the man a few territorial looks first. Hey, if we were a 500 lbs. bear trying to cool off in the California heat, we might also get a little territorial over a private pool that solved 90% of our problems.

In all seriousness, though, the reason why we're seeing more and more events like this is because we're increasingly encroaching on many forest animals' natural habitats. As our suburban zones continue to expand farther and farther away from city centers and enter more rural territory, all the fauna that live there are forced to move homes as well, or adapt to living next to humans. In this case, the bear decided that overheating was scarier than facing a few angry humans, and he was right. A little dip in an empty pool wouldn't hurt anyone - and how was he supposed to know that you're supposed to shower before getting in?

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  • 01
    OCBS CBS Evening... EVENING NEWS @CBSEvening News Follow ... A Los Angeles man spotted ripples in his backyard pool and found a huge bear cooling off in the scorching heat.
    via @CBSEveningNews
  • 02
    "UNBEARABLY" HOT
    via @CBSEveningNews
  • 03
    SIERRA MADRE, CA OCBS WITH TONY DOKOUPIL EVENING NEWS BEAR STAYS COOL IN POOL DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL
    via @CBSEveningNews, DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL
  • 04
    Kakaty @TigerSharkLover The struggle is real!! No, I'm not feeding the Bears. I take care of some dumped forest cats and I live in a National Forest. Changes have been made! 2026-07-17 20:55:35
    via @TigerSharkLover
  • 05
    Paulo @PalvaDreck THAT BEAR IS BIGGER THAN MY WHOLE LIVING ROOM BRO
    via @PalvaDreck
  • 06
    SIERRA MADRE, CA DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL OCBS WITH TONY DOKOUPIL EVENING NEWS BEAR STAYS COOL IN POOL
    via @CBSEveningNews, DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL
  • 07
    Rozilyn Diondre @Chevy34092622 the bear really said its giving resort vibes today
    via @Chevy34092622
  • 08
    OxLuna @yunawang120 o the man saw ripples and thought what fish do i have
    via @yunawang120

  • That might be the biggest fish we've ever seen. Also the furriest. And the heaviest. And the bitiest. Let's just say we don't want that “fish” anywhere near our swimming pools.

  • 09
    OxXenn @xenncore1031 smh california really is built different when bears are using your pool like its their personal spa
    via @xenncore1031
  • 10
    SIERRA MADRE, CA OCBS WITH TONY DOKOUPIL EVENING NEWS BEAR STAYS COOL IN POOL DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL
    via @CBSEveningNews, DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL
  • 11
    Ygor @YgorDlaSant what did the homeowner even do after like did he just go back inside and pretend he saw nothing
    via @YgorDlaSant
  • 12
    Southern Bear Fren @DixieBearFren I hope that bear left a one star review for the poor poolside customer service! ...
    via @DixieBearFren
  • 13
    Alex Crypto @josh10987423 tbh if it was 100 degrees outside i would do the same thing no cap
    via @josh10987423
  • 14
    SIERRA MADRE, CA DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL OCBS WITH TONY DOKOUPIL EVENING NEWS Pause BEAR STAYS COOL IN POOL
    via @CBSEveningNews, DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL
  • 15
    Kim Jones @DemyanaSt yo the bear just said rent free AND pool access fam
    via @DemyanaSt
  • 16
    Luna.eth @AsadraNkadha homie bear said forget the forest today we vibing in the suburbs
    via @AsadraNkadha
  • 17
    maya @Mayabuildsvddg broski that bear said this heat is not it and took matters into his own paws
    via @Mayabuildsvddg
  • 18
    The Daily Buzz @Cookwithusss The bear: "Sorry, it's too hot out here. Just cooling off real quick then I'll be on my way"
    via @Cookwithusss

  • At least the bear left on its own accord. I wouldn't want to have to try and convince him to leave. How does one even begin to convince a bear of anything?

  • 19
    SIERRA MADRE, CA OCBS WITH TONY DOKOUPIL EVENING NEWS BEAR STAYS COOL IN POOL DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL
    via @CBSEveningNews, DAVID RECHTSCHAFFEN VIA STORYFUL
  • 20
    Marcus Webb @aaronjhuo like how do you even begin to ask him to leave bro you just dont
    via @aaronjhuo
  • 21
    Nora.eth @SirivellaArum idk what id do if i walked outside and saw THAT in my pool
    via @SirivellaArum
  • 22
    Shal @sha_la36736c ser this bear is literally living better than most of us rn
    via @sha_la36736c
  • 23
    via @CBSEveningNews

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Tags

los angeles summer heat grizzly bear backyard pool
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