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A black bear went for a swim at a crowded beach on the Gulf. cbcpa79, via Twitter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s already hot in Florida, and recent video footage from the Gulf Coast shows that humans aren\u2019t the only mammals hitting the beach. A video shared to Twitter<\/a> on June 11 shows a young black bear playing in the waves at a beach near Destin. Hundreds of onlookers watch as the bruin swims ashore and runs across the crowded white sand.<\/p>\n A bear just swam from way out in the ocean to shore in Destin. Insane. @spann<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/v033ep7FFa<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Cdawg (@cbcpa79) June 11, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n A second video that was filmed by another beachgoer that day and later shared on social media by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission<\/a> shows the juvenile black bear swimming in the deeper, emerald waters of the Gulf before it reaches the crowded beach.<\/p>\n While seeing a bear swimming in the shallows of a crowded beach is unusual, to say the least, swimming is something that black bears are pretty good at! <\/p>\n It actually isn\u2019t unusual to hear of black bears swimming in the Gulf, on their way to barrier islands in search of food\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/ZKn9ASmHXH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MyFWC (@MyFWC) June 13, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cWow. I guess he\u2019s on vacation too,\u201d one onlooker says during the short, 30-second clip.<\/p>\n FWC officials explained that while it was certainly an unusual sight, this is not the first time black bears have been seen on Florida beaches or swimming in the Gulf of Mexico.<\/p>\n \u201cSwimming is something that black bears are pretty good at!\u201d reads the agency\u2019s post. \u201cIt actually isn\u2019t unusual to hear of black bears swimming in the Gulf, on their way to barrier islands in search of food.\u201d<\/p>\n Read Next:<\/strong> Canadian \u201cCaffeine Bear\u201d Breaks into Car, Chugs 69 Cans of Soda<\/a><\/p>\n The agency added that many of the state\u2019s juvenile bears (1.5 to 2.5 years old) are just now leaving their mothers for the first time as they search for new home ranges of their own. This helps explain why they \u201csometimes [end] up in unexpected places like a city park or a crowded beach.\u201d<\/p>\n The best thing to do if you spot a black bear at the beach (or anywhere else for that matter) is to give it plenty of space and never try to approach or feed it, FWC advises<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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