A polar bear makes friends with a sled dog

A polar bear in Canada has been seen playing with a new dog friend at the same sanctuary where a predator ate a husky last year.

Video taken at the Mile 5 Dog Sanctuary in Churchill, Manitoba shows a polar bear trying to befriend one of the tied up dogs. 

The large carnivore is being friendly, playfully pawing at the pup and tugging on its chain.

The dog, a rare sled breed impervious to the cold, doesn’t really like the attention.   

Patrica, the witness who shot the video earlier this month, said: ‘We were out polar bear watching with some visiting friends, when we noticed the polar bear go wandering up to one of the tied up dogs and casually started playing with it. 

‘It was funny because we had watched the same bear, the day prior, at a distance.’ 

Patricia said that the bear played with the dog for about seven minutes and then wandered off.

The polar bear is seen trying to play with the sled dog that’s been chained up at a sanctuary in Manitoba, pictured

The polar bear playfully stomps on the chain that the dog is tied up with, pictured, forcing it to stop moving

The polar bear playfully stomps on the chain that the dog is tied up with, pictured, forcing it to stop moving

The sled dog doesn't really seem to be enjoying the attention as the polar bear tries to play with it, pictured

The sled dog doesn’t really seem to be enjoying the attention as the polar bear tries to play with it, pictured

She added: ‘The bear would step on the dogs chain when the dog would try to run away and with the other paw, he would tug on the chain to get the dog closer to him.’   

But last year, MailOnline reported how a similar encounter ended in tragedy when conservation officers were called to remove three polar bears from the site after one of the animals attacked and ate a sled dog.

The dog had been chained up at the time and it was believe that the bear had simply been hungry.

The polar bear playfully bites the sled dog's neck, pictured, and tries to make friends

The polar bear playfully bites the sled dog’s neck, pictured, and tries to make friends

This was a friendly encounter between polar bear and sled dog, pictured, but last year a similar incident ended in tragedy

This was a friendly encounter between polar bear and sled dog, pictured, but last year a similar incident ended in tragedy

The sanctuary is used to breed sled dogs, who according to previous owners, are rarely bothered by predators. If an attack occurs, it is usually made by wolves. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk