Meatball the Bear from San Diego is Celebrating His 11th Birthday and Everyone is Invited

The birth of a wild animal is always cause for celebration, but this time everyone is invited to the party. San Diego's Lions Tigers and Bears' (LTB) beloved Meatball the Bear is turning 11 and the sanctuary is throwing its doors open for the event.

According to the press release sent from LTB, the birthday party is set to take place on Thursday, August 25 at 10:30 AM. Reserve a slot at the party with an RSVP at (619) 659-8078.

It's tough to determine the actual date of birth of rescued animals, so the volunteers and staff at LTB usually celebrate on the day the animal arrived at the sanctuary. As founder and director Bobbi Brink puts it, the day marks "the start of a brand new life."

"Most of these animals came from deplorable conditions, where they never received proper care," she explained. "Our goal is to provide them with the care and attention they require and rightly deserve."

Meatball, a California black bear, was rescued back in August 29, 2012 when California Fish & Wildlife officials picked him up for being a "nuisance bear." This followed after Meatball was spotted wandering around Glendale from swimming pools to garage refrigerators.

One of the reasons why a lot of wildlife species like Meatball are venturing closer to humans is because they're losing their habitats due to the rising activity of deforestation. Another is the intense heat that had bears recently cooling off in public bodies of water that are often frequented by people.

A report from KCRA revealed that a family of black bears took a dip at Pope Beach in Lake Tahoe earlier this month. It's a fairly common occurrence, according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife supervising wildlife biologist Jason Holley.

The video is taken by Pallas Buckley, according to NBC4i.