Polar bear caught on camera playing with chained-up dog

Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A photographer in Manitoba, Canada, captured unusual footage of a polar bear visiting with a sled dog and pawing at the canine in apparent affection.

The filmer said they were looking for polar bears to photograph when they came across the bear visiting a chained-up sled dog outside of Churchill.

"We nervously waited to see how the situation would unfold as there have been reports of polar bears killing [dogs] before," the filmer wrote. "This bear seemed to genuinely want to play with his canine friend despite being overly strong and a bit rough. The dog came out of it unscathed and didn't appear to mind the visit. The bear eventually continued on to look for food."

A polar bear was previously caught on camera playing with a chained-up dog in Manitoba in 2016. The video led to controversy after three polar bears were later removed from the property after killing and eating another of the owner's dogs.