Police in Pembroke said black bears have been appearing in town recently, including one that took a dip in a backyard pool Sunday.
Over the past several weeks, police have received reports of bears in a number of places, most often by a bird feeder, police chief Richard MacDonald said in an email.
“The message we give to the public is to leave the bear alone and to remove birdfeeders if you have them in your backyard,” he said. Residents should call police if they see a bear, he said.
On Sunday afternoon, Hannah Rose Doucette’s Ring camera caught a video of a bear walking across her backyard, climbing over the side of the above-ground pool, and hanging out in the water.
She shared the video on Facebook with the caption, “We just had a visitor cool off in our pool!”
Black bears are fairly common in some parts of Massachusetts, according to Dave Wattles, a biologist at MassWildlife, with bird feeders and trash providing them easy access to food.
“We have bears in yards and neighborhoods every day,” Wattles said. “I guarantee there is one in someone’s backyard in Massachusetts right now.”
Bears aren’t normally a threat but are powerful animals, so it’s best not to approach them, he said.
Talia Lissauer can be reached at talia.lissauer@globe.com. Follow her on Instgram @_ttphotos.