Black Bear Enjoys Soapy Bubble Bath at a Tennessee Zoo — Watch!

Finn the black bear knows how to cool off and have fun in the summer heat!

On a steamy August afternoon, visitors to Zoo Knoxville got a special treat when they visited the bear just in time to see him enjoy a foamy bubble bath — his first-ever, according to the zoo’s media manager Jonathan Jones.

The bath, the product of bear-safe dish soap, was “an unplanned event,” Jones says.

“Our zookeepers were cleaning the pools while the bears were off of the exhibit,” he tells PEOPLE of Zoo Knoxville bears Ursula, 21, Monty, 11, and Finn, 10. “As the zookeepers started to refill the pool, they couldn’t get the bubbles to go down. Knowing that the soap was safe, they allowed the bears to explore it and see what they thought.”

He adds: “Finn is the one that really took interest.”

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The moment was also caught on camera by the Tennessee zoo. The clip shows Finn frolicking and diving around in sudsy water in his enclosure while zoo visitors watch with smiles.

The video of the mammal soaking up the soapy experience made a splash on Zoo Knoxville’s Facebook page.

“🐻 + 🫧🛁 = the GREATEST thing you’ve ever seen! 🤣😍,” the zoo wrote alongside the playful clip.

“Remember being a kid and getting to play in the bubble bath?” the caption continued. “Well, it’s just as fun for Finn, our 10 yr old black bear!”

Zoo Knoxville/Facebook

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“It’s hard to tell that he’s around 450lbs as he splashes around,” the zoo concluded.

In the adorable video, zoo-goers of all ages observe the black bear through glass, grinning and laughing as the animal covers himself in suds. At one point, Finn’s face is entirely hidden behind the bubbles.

Fans of Finn and his bath-time antics — including some who witnessed it firsthand — shared their affection for the bear, commenting on the zoo’s post with sentiments like “That is adorable!” and “Absolutely LOVE this!!!”

“We were there!!!” one user shared alongside a photo of the soap-covered bear, adding that Finn “was so funny.”

According to Jones, there is hope for more bear baths in Zoo Knoxville’s future. He says that the zoo is “currently looking into making it more of a permanent event” — and even looking into other animals that “would enjoy this type of enrichment.”

Zoo Knoxville/Facebook

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Alongside the clip, the zoo also used hashtags, including a quote from The Office with a punny twist, #bearsbubblesbattlestargalactica, and #realbear.

The latter hashtag seemingly nods to some other zoo bears who have made headlines this summer — the sun bears of Hangzhou Zoo.

The zoo, located in Eastern China, publically denied claims that its sun bears are actually humans dressed in bear costumes last month.

Zoo Knoxville/Facebook

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After a viral video showed one of the bears standing on its hind legs, social media users shared suspicions that the mammals were humans in disguise, prompting the zoo to defend the creatures, per the Associated Press.

“Some people think I stand like a person,” the zoo shared in a statement written from the perspective of one of its sun bears, per the outlet. “It seems you don’t understand me very well.”

A spokesperson for the Hangzhou attraction also confirmed that the bears are real, noting that a person wearing a sun bear costume “would not last more than a few minutes before collapsing” in the city’s extreme summer temperatures, The Guardian reported.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education