Huge Bear Caught on Camera Enjoying Soak in Garden Pond

A Nevada resident got the surprise of his life after discovering a huge bear had been bathing in his garden pond.

In footage supplied by security camera manufacturer Ring, the large animal can be seen enjoying a soak in the pond, evidently unaware its every move was being caught on film.

The video was captured outside a residential property in Reno and shows the bear happily relaxing in the cooling waters of the pond.

According to the Nevada Department of Wildlife, since the 1980s conservation efforts have led to a dramatic increase in the state's black bear population, particularly in the western region.

As a result, residents have been urged to secure garbage and avoid setting up bird feeders and other edible items so as not to attract them to the area.

In the case of this particular Reno resident, it has been suggested that the bear had been eating grapes from a neighbor's vineyard before heading to the pond for a well-earned bath.

The homeowners set up the Ring camera close to the pond after noticing it was half full for two days in a row. They were at home fast asleep when they received an alert on their Ring app informing them of movement in the area. When they checked the camera they were confronted with the astonishing sight of the bear enjoying itself.

According to Ring, this is not the first time they have seen a bear in their backyard. In fact, bears are just one of a handful of animal visitors to have been captured on the security camera, with other guests including squirrels, raccoons, deer, coyotes and even a lynx.

However, this was the first time a bear had decided to turn their pond into their very own private pool with the resulting footage making for spectacular viewing.

Ring security cameras have often captured unexpected animal behavior. In one instance, a woman who found herself repeatedly hassled by an unknown doorbell ringer in the middle of the night ended up in tears after discovering the culprit was a cockroach.

Another video that proved popular saw a deer sneakily eating from someone's bushes.

Then there was the astonishing footage of a dog appearing to break up a fight between two rival cats.

But not all canines are so kind—with one four-legged friend captured on camera trying to steal a homeowner's package from their front doorstep in a daring daylight raid that didn't exactly go to plan.