Homeowners go to great lengths to ensure that animals do not enter the pool. When animals get into your pool, chaos can ensue. Installing a pool fence or wall around your yard does not guarantee that wildlife will not visit. Let’s face it, your swimming pool is a natural watering hole for all kinds of wildlife. Animals can tend to visit your pool when you’re not around.

Statistically, the the most common animals you will find in your swimming pool are creatures like frogs, snakes, raccoons, squirrels and birds. However, there are many other larger wildlife that will want to use your pool as well.

Bears are naturally attracted to swimming pools

Making it a habitable environment for creatures is never a good idea. Keeping snacks handy and keeping your pool cover open when you’re not home is practically an engraved invitation for animals to visit your pool.

Yogi came for the snacks you missed and to take a bath. No big deal, just leave him a towel.

Finding a bear in your yard is a very realistic proposition for homeowners living in bear country. Leaving food unattended and an oasis like a swimming pool is very welcoming to bears. If you happen to live in an area where bears are widespread, take precautions. Spraying animal repellent, bringing food indoors, using an automatic pool cover, and an automatic sprinkler system are both great ways to keep bears away.

Bambi & his abnormal love for pools

Deer are another form of wildlife that are naturally attracted to swimming pools. The fact that they can easily jump over a fence means they are not an effective deterrent to these animals. During the hot summer months, deer may be attracted to your swimming pool, thinking it is a water feature.

Maybe you wake up one morning and you say “Bambi, what are you doing here?”

Although beautiful to look at, deer are not very good swimmers. You’re just as likely to find one at the bottom of your pool as you are to hear one frolicking in the shallow end. A clever way to deter deer from entering your yard is to use deer deterrent spray. The animals find the smell repulsive and will definitely give your swimming pool a wide berth.

Pumas and mountain lions

Other animals that may be naturally attracted to your pool include cougars and mountain lions. In rural parts of the country, these creatures can come down from the hills to use your swimming pool as their own watering hole. The typical animal repellents we recommend should deter a mountain lion from wanting to make your pool their pool

Pool Animals – Cougars and mountain lions are naturally attracted to water.

Homeowners living in places like California, Oregon, and Colorado have the highest population of mountain lions in the country. While you certainly aren’t all that likely to find a bear or deer in your pool, if you live in a state known for its high population of mountain lions, you could very likely come across one of these animals.

Alligators in the pool

Finding an alligator in your swimming pool may sound far-fetched, but not when you live in Florida. The Sun State is known for an abundance of alligators. Over 1.3 million alligators live in Florida alongside homeowners with luxury pools.

In Florida, it is entirely possible to find an alligator in your pool.

While by no means common, a local in Florida or elsewhere along the Gulf Coast will report at least a few times a year that they’ve found an alligator swimming around in their pool. A story that has come to mind recently is of the Florida homeowners who came outside one evening and found a 9 foot alligator doing laps in their pool.

pigs in the pool

Wild boar and wild boar can get caught in your pool.

Okay, that’s not very likely to happen unless you happen to live in a place known for wild boar. However, it is known to happen. Some homeowners who live in areas known for wild boar or wild boar have been woken up by the surprise squeaking of a pig in their pool.

Swimming with the pigs actually sounds like fun. Photo credit: Pinterest

Pigs are actually pretty good swimmers. The famous swimming pigs in the Exumas are a testament to how much these animals love to swim. Consequently, they are naturally attracted to pools.

Hippos in the Pool – Hey… it could happen.

While it’s certainly unusual, a homeowner in Botswana woke up to find a hippopotamus using his underground pool. Okay, we don’t have anything here. If you live in an area of ​​the world prone to hippo invasions, you’re on your own.

Don’t even let hippos in your pool for a dip! – Photo credit: Reddit

After the hippo used the pool as his personal oasis, the homeowner had his hands full removing over 100 pounds of hippo manure from the bottom of his pool. This is definitely not a job that any pool service guy in the United States would want to try and tackle.

Sharks in the pool

Finally there are the sharks in the pool. What, wait a minute…yeah, we’re just kidding with the last one. Thankfully, “Jaws” is the last animal on earth you’ll find in the deep end of your pool. While some sharks have been known to jump out of the water in pursuit of prey, the chances of one jumping into your pool are nil. Still, there are quite a few people who have an unusual fear of sharks in the pool. There is actually a clinic name for this weird fear called galeophobia.

It’s not very likely to find a shark in the pool. Photo credit: Buzzfeed

Then there are the people who actually want animals in their pool

Some people like YouTubers Dudeson and Jake Paul have actually gone to great lengths to get animals into their swimming pool. The video below shows her swimming with not one but two 10ft snakes in the pool.

Just swam in a snake pool ????

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) January 24, 2017