In April 2021, Karen Bockrath, a resident of Naples, Florida, went to the local TV news station with some unusual photographs. The pictures showed a large bear recreating in her swimming pool. Bockrath's pictures can bee seen in this local news report:
Bockrath jokingly told local WBBH-TV that she considers the animal — believed to be a Florida black bear — her pet.
Bockrath said the bear tore through a screen barrier to access the pool, and that he has used the same method of exit and entry repeatedly.
"It was only scary when he came up to my sliders and was checking out my living room,” Bockrath told the Miami Herald. "I really hope he doesn’t think my new couch looks comfy."
Florida black bears are not naturally aggressive and in the vast majority of cases, try to avoid confrontation, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. As is the case with all wildlife, members of the public should avoid feeding and interacting with them.