Andrew Hughan, a representative for California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the Los Angeles Times the animals were black bears: a mother, healthy at about 300 pounds, and her two cubs, likely born in late winter or early spring.

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“It’s not unusual at all to see bear activity,” he said to the Times. “But it’s unusual to have them in the pool.”

Around noon, the bear sightings prompted a rash of phone calls to the Pasadena sheriff’s office. After closing down the street, local authorities took a relatively hands-off approach — bears are not uncommon in the area — hoping the animals would eventually saunter back to the woods from where they came.

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In the meantime, choppers documented the bears’ antics, once losing sight of the mother bear when she climbed into a stand of trees.

Though it appeared to be the first time the cubs made an appearance, the mother bear had been spotted before. “It’s kind of a regular thing,” Sgt. Keith Gibbons told the Times. “They go through the trash and stuff when it’s trash day.”

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State tallies suggest California’s black bear population is increasing, with a conservative estimate of about 30,000 bears in 2012. In bear country, the average density is about 1 to 2.5 bears per square mile.

No one was injured during Thursday’s ursine escapade, nor did the bears enter the house after breaking its glass backdoor.

On Twitter, the California wildlife department said it planned to wait until the day darkened, and then authorities would haze the bears back home.

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