North Vancouver couple finds bear soaking in their pool
Couple says this wasn't the first time a bear visited their backyard
Denise Diering didn't expect to see a big black bear standing at the edge of her swimming pool when she looked out the back door of her North Vancouver home late on Monday afternoon.
She told CBC News she shouted to her husband, Tony Diering, who was nearby, to "Close the door!"
When she looked back, the bear slid into the pool, then climbed into the adjoining hot tub for a quick soak.
The swim lasted about 15 minutes, and was partly caught on video, before the bear scampered off through a hole it had knocked down in the Dierings' fence.
Tony Diering said he thinks the bear was a male. He also noticed it had been tagged by wildlife officials. The mountainside city is often the site of bear activity.
"In the neighbourhood there are a lot of small kids and obviously it's a safety concern for our neighbours," he said.
"I just hope the bear can get the message and basically go somewhere else."
A bear — possibly the same one — was in the Dierings' backyard last month and licked their bird feeder clean, they said.
With files from Belle Puri