Polar bear dives towards zoo worker and plays with him through the glass of his aquarium in Belgium

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A polar bear and a zoo worker put on an adorable display through the glass of the animal's new aquatic enclosure. 

The unlikely friends were filmed playing together at the Land of the Cold, at Pairi Daiza zoo in Brugelette, western Belgium.  

The zoo worker stands outside the polar bear's underwater enclosure and touches the glass to get the giant animal's attention. 

Caretaker interacts with polar bear through glass at Belgium zoo
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The zoo worker touches the glass to get the animal's attention
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As the polar bear swims towards him he moves in a different direction
Unlikely friends: A polar bear plays with a zoo worker at at the Land of the Cold, an Arctic world in western Belgium at the Pairi Daiza zoo
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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 the worker, wearing a high-vis waistcoat darts to a different location and the bear pauses before changing course. 

The pair repeat this unlikely game of chase routine an impressed onlooker exclaims' 'Wow!'

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.

'In addition, there is also a large ice cave where the animals can enter and where the temperature remains permanently below freezing point. 

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During the playing routine the bear swims to the surface and impressively dives back down towards his friend

'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.