Floridians at the beach in Destin were surprised when they saw a black bear cub enjoying a swim on Sunday.
Video footage shows the bear swimming around in the cool water before making its way onto the beach, the New York Post reported Monday.
In one clip, the crowd stands back, watching as the cub emerges from the water and ducks between some chairs covered by umbrellas, according to WFAA.
The animal then takes off running:
“He just wanted to have some fun at the beach,” one social media user commented, while another said, “Young Bear enjoying the water. I hope it’s not on his or her own yet. I’m glad to see people leaving it alone, and it can safely leave the beach.”
A photo shows two men appearing to ensure the animal safely exits the water as others stand at a safe distance:
Witness Jennifer Majors Smith of Nashville, who was on vacation with her family at the time, said at first, no one on the beach could tell what was happening, but a man was screaming, “Bear!”
“You would expect ‘shark’ or ‘dolphin’ but not ‘bear.’ It came out of the Gulf and look tired but relieved. We were all shocked by and amazed to see what we saw. We were all glad to see him safe from the water,” she explained, according to the Post.
A clip taken by Smith records the bear cub running along a fence near some buildings. At one point, it appeared to try and climb the fence:
In a social media post on May 30, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said, “In spring and summer, juvenile bears (yearlings between 1 ½ – 2 ½ years old) become independent, leaving their mothers’ home ranges in search of new digs of their own.”
“That means that juvenile bears sometimes find themselves in unexpected places as they look for new habitat, like in cities downtown and at beach resorts,” the commission continued, adding that people can help by keeping their distance, removing food that could entice the animals to stay, and telling others to do the same.