Bears' swan boat pedalo ride at Woburn Safari Park

All aboard the Swan-light Express

Four bears at a safari park in Bedfordshire were treated to a very relaxing activity this week.

After the bears' paddock flooded, keepers at Woburn Safari Park brought in a pedalo as a unique bit of entertainment.

Deputy Head of Carnivores, Tommy Babbington, said the bears were "immediately intrigued" by the arrival of the swan-shaped peddle boat.

Mr Babbington said that the boat was "certainly was a hit."

Ahoy bear!

The four swan-riding American black bears are called Harvard, Maple, Colorado and Aspen.

Black bears are commonly found in forests across the USA, Canada and parts of Mexico. While many black bears do have dark black fur, they are known to have brown, grey and white fur too.

The paw-some foursome attempting to sail away together

Despite sharing a continent with two other famous bear species - the grizzly and the polar bear - they are actually more closely related to the Asian black bear.

Black bears are very social animals that need lots of time to play together, particularly in the months after their winter hibernation.

"Bears are naturally very curious animals, and keepers will encourage this with all kinds of enrichment through their habitat as this keeps their minds and bodies active," said Mr Babbington.