Forget Surfin' Bird, here's the surfin' bear! Adorable cub named Bruiser likes nothing better than catching some surf in pool at Miami sanctuary
- Bruiser lives with owner Carl Bovard, 43, at his non-profit, wild animal educational facility in Melrose, Florida
- Every day he likes to jump on a surfboard and ride the waves ... even if they are more like ripples in his pool
- Carl says: 'The bears used to go in and out of the little pools in their enclosure, and at about three months they climbed the ladder of the big pool and basically hopped right in. They love it!'
Bruiser the bear cub is as sure-pawed on a board as any human could hope to be.
The
young Syrian brown bear loves nothing more than a good surf ... just so
long as it's in a swimming pool and nowhere near the beach.
So
when he's not shredding his owner Carl Bovard's furniture in their home
in Melrose Florida, he can be found riding ripples in the pool outside.
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Sure-pawed on a board: Bruiser the bear cub is as sure-pawed on a board as any human could hope to be
Timid: The young Syrian brown
bear loves nothing more than a good surf ... just so long as it's in his
owner's swimming pool and nowhere near the beach
Friends: Carl Bovard, 43, is the
owner of Single Vision, a non-profit, wild animal educational facility
he opened nine years ago.
Carl, 43,
is the owner of Single Vision, a non-profit, wild animal educational
facility he opened nine years ago in the backyard of his home in
Melrose, Florida.
Carl
plays with, wrestles, and cares for six tigers, two lions, two bear
cubs, two mountain lions, two bobcats and two alligators at the
facility.
The
now ten-month-old Syrian brown bear cub, named Bruiser, enjoys cooling
off from the Florida sun inside a pool in the enclosure.
Carl said:
'The bears used to go in and out of the little pools in their enclosure,
and at about three months they climbed the ladder of the big pool and
basically hopped right in.
'They love being in and playing around in the water.
'Honey, my Florida black bear, likes the water too but she doesn't take to it quite like Bruiser.'
Hopped in: Carl said the bears
used to 'go in and out of the little pools in their enclosure, and at
about three months they climbed the ladder of the big pool and basically
hopped right in'
Care: Carl keeps all his animals
in his home when they are younger - Bruiser and Honey moved to an
enclosure when they were four months old
Quick learner: Carl brought the bears to Single Vision when they were eight weeks old
Carl says: 'When the animals are
young they stay in the house with me - it's important because that's how
they socialize and bond with me'
'Big personality': Carl says he loves playing with them every day, adding that they have 'big personalities'
Carl keeps
all his animals in his home when they are younger - Bruiser and Honey
moved to an enclosure when they were four months old.
Carl
said: 'When the animals are young they stay in the house with me - it's
important because that's how they socialize and bond with me.
'Keeping
them in the house is challenging - they're wild so they're destructive.
Once they grow from that baby size and they're up and moving around
your furniture can pay a price.
'The bears are the youngest animals here - and since they are the youngest they are our main priority.
'After
they are fed, I take them out and let them run around with the dogs,
take them on walks around in the woods, and let them play in the pool.'
Carl brought the bears to Single Vision when they were eight weeks old.
Carl
said: 'I really enjoy playing with them every day - and they have big
personalities - they're different but they're a lot of fun.'
