Polar bear dives towards zoo worker and plays with him through the glass of his aquarium in Belgium
- A polar bear and a zoo worker adorably play together at Belgium’s Pairi Daiza zoo
- The zoo has one of the largest bear enclosures in the world with a seawater basin
- They also have a large ice cave where the temperature remains below freezing
A polar bear and a zoo worker put on an adorable playing routine through the glass of the animal’s new aquatic enclosure.
The unlikely friends play together at the Land of the Cold, an artic world in western Belgium at the Pairi Daiza zoo.
The zoo worker stands outside the glass that looks into the polar bear’s water enclosure touches the glass to get the giant animal’s attention.
Unlikely friends: A polar bear plays with a zoo worker at at the Land of the Cold, an artic world in western Belgium at the Pairi Daiza zoo
The zoo says it keeps polar bears in large enclosures because their natural habitats are being threatened
As the bear looks at the worker and starts to swim towards him he darts to a different location and the bear pauses before changing course.
The pair repeat this routine with the polar bear looking adorably playful and mischievous.
An onlooker films the interaction and is very impressed when the polar bear dives down towards his friend from the surface.
The zoo said: ‘We keep polar bears, walruses, reindeer and Siberian tigers in huge enclosures that mimic their natural habitat as closely as possible.
‘We have built one of the largest polar bear enclosures in the world, complete with a huge basin of chilled seawater, where the public can also view the animals underwater.
During the playing routine the bear swims to the surface and impressively dives back down towards his friend
‘In addition, there is also a large ice cave where the animals can enter and where the temperature remains permanently below freezing point.
‘We built The Land of the Cold because these beautiful animals, especially polar bears and walruses, are no longer safe in their natural habitats.
‘Both the polar bear and the walrus are highly threatened by the greatest danger on earth, humans.
‘Oil drilling in the polar region and maritime transport are also endangering this habitat.
‘The Land of the Cold has also built a gigantic resort with 50 suites, where our visitors can spend the night in underwater rooms near the polar bears and walruses.