In an unexpected evening meeting, a pair of brothers from Massachusetts had a close encounter with a bear when they saw the curious animal swimming leisurely in his backyard pool.
Sebastian Stafani was enjoying a television show at his family’s residence in Hingham when he looked out the window and was met with the amazing sight of a bear splashing in his pool.
Her startled cries drew her sister, Anabelle Stafani, who ran downstairs to see what had caused the commotion. To her disbelief, they found an adult bear playfully enjoying a refreshing dip in the water.
“I thought he cut his finger or something. I went downstairs and saw a bear in the pool.” Anabelle told WHDH-TVstill in awe of the unexpected guest.
The quick thinking brothers decided to capture the extraordinary encounter on video while the bear continued to swim in his pool and explore his garden. Even more surprising, the bear seemed to be quite intrigued by a squirt gun, taking a playful bite of it as the Stafani brothers looked on in amazement.
“I thought, ‘What’s going on? How did he get in there?’” Sebastian said, trying to make sense of the surreal situation.
Fortunately, the situation was handled responsibly, as an animal control officer responded quickly to the scene. Using his experience, the officer successfully persuaded the bear to leave the yard and return to the wild.
As the excitement subsided, the Stafani brothers realized that the unexpected visitor had inadvertently helped them with a task: playful bear swimming ended up cleaning the pool filter of pine needlesa favor that did not go unnoticed by Anabelle.
“He was swimming, and he went out and emptied that filter with pine needles, so he did us a favor,” he noted with a sense of gratitude.
While this encounter surely left the brothers with a unique and unforgettable memory, it’s essential to remember that bears are wild animals and should be watched from a safe distance.
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