How do bears deal with the West’s heatwave? They find kiddie pools, Idaho video shows

An Idaho bear is showing everyone how to deal with the West’s scorching heat wave. You just have to find a kiddie pool, video shows.

Greg Massey, a teacher in Priest River, Idaho, put a kiddie pool in his backyard for animals to use during the record-breaking heat, The Spokesman-Review reported.

“I thought I would get a deer, elk, moose or something drinking out of it,” Massey told 4 News Now. “Here is what I got.”

What showed up was a huge bear, video showed. The bear first just sat in the kiddie pool getting its paws wet, but it eventually got comfortable.

The big bear found a way to relax in the tiny kiddie pool. It stretched its whole body out and set its head on the side of the plastic tub, video shows.

“He came along and stayed for three hours in that pool,” Massey told The Spokesman-Review.

The bear likely was getting some relief from the intense heatwave that was gripping the western U.S. The region has been experiencing record-setting high temperatures. In some places, temperatures have soared above 120 degrees.

It’s not uncommon for bears to cool down by taking a swim, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

Bears have been found in kiddie pools before. In Virginia, a 600-pound bear overheated and found its way to a kiddie pool last summer. The bear found the pool so nice that it fell asleep in half a minute, McClatchy News previously reported.

“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,” Regina 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.”

This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 1:41 PM with the headline "How do bears deal with the West’s heatwave? They find kiddie pools, Idaho video shows."