Bear-y hot summer: Bears take a dip for a cool escape in California

BASS LAKE, Calif. (KMPH) — Multiple bear sightings were spotted and caught on camera during broad daylight in Bass Lake in Madera County, California.

They too, seem to be feeling this extreme heat and want to cool off.

During a vacation stay, a father and daughter spotted a bear around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

“He was on the dock, and I was inside, and he texted me, 'like, there's a bear out here.' So, I thought maybe he's trying to like trick me to go outside with him and I went out there and there was a bear," said Addi McMurtrey.

Her dad, Jimmy, said the bear was just cruising along the shoreline after getting out of the water.

For Addi and her dad, it's not their first bear encounter near their vacation home. But it was the closest one and Addi says she had to record it.

I wanted him to go closer so I could get a better video," she stated while chuckling.

Both jumped on a golf cart and went around to admire the bear from a distance.

"Sure enough, we came around the corner and he was right there getting in the trash can, that blue trash can, going to get a little lunch, I think," Jimmy said.

They said the bear ran into the woods after being startled by a passing car.

They both expressed, a neat experience to be that close.

“Yeah, I always make sure that I'm on the opposite side of the bear, that she was always on that side. So, I was safe," said Addi's dad as he chuckles as he meant it as a joke.

Eli Ramirez who lives in the area shared his and his father's bear sightings up near Manzanita Drive in Bass Lake.

He also spotted a bear around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

The bear took a dive into the lake and went for a swim to cool off.

He also said about three weeks ago, his dad spotted another huge bear near Road 426 and another near their home last month with two baby cubs.

The National Park Service sated, if you spot a bear, keep your distance, never approach it, and do not try to feed it.

KMPH News reached out to experts to find out why there is a lot of recent bear sightings in the past week.

KMPH has not heard back from them at this time.