Footage has captured the moment a black bear was spotted swimming among beachgoers in Florida.
Chris Barron, who had been on the Destin beach at the time of the incident, captured the footage of the bear swimming toward the shore, right next to people in the water.
Barron told Storyful that the bear had been swimming right next to his son, 12, and his brother.
Witnesses, including Barron, thought the animal was a dog at first—which would not have been quite an unusual sight. In the footage, the bear eventually reaches shore surrounded by even more people.
Other clips of the bear posted to social media show the bear running away from the beach into tall grasses once it emerges from the water.
"The bear was out pretty far. A lot of people started swimming in. I was worried it was a shark. I walked over and thought it was a dog," Barron told Storyful. "At this point, I realized it was a bear and started videoing. It kept swimming in. He got to shore, shook off, and ran into the brush in the sand dunes. I think most people were shocked instead of being scared. No one expected to see a bear in the Gulf of Mexico."
Black bears can be found all across Florida, but it is rare to see them swimming in busy beach settings like this. The two species in the state are the American black bear and the Florida black bear.
Despite their large build, bears are expert swimmers. They will often look for water to catch prey, for example, fish—in particular, salmon—in streams. However, they sometimes swim through the ocean to get to a different area, seeking out better food sources.
But it is not clear why this bear was swimming in this area. The animal also appears to be quite young.
The bear did not seem aggressive toward any of the beachgoers but in general, it is important for people to stay clear of wildlife.
Although bears do not usually attack humans, they can be aggressive if they feel provoked or threatened. However, black bears are well known for being a more gentle species.
As seen in the video, the bear seems unfazed by the humans, if a bit perplexed. It appears much more intent on running away than harming any swimmers.
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