A polar bear video went viral this week because of an adorable encounter with man’s best friend. But we’ve since learned there’s more to the story.
So a polar bear and a dog sit side by side on the rocks…
It may sound the start of some silly joke, but it was actually caught on camera, and what happened next melted everyone’s hearts this week. The bear lifts a paw toward the dog and begins petting its head like a person would.
ABC News posted the video on Thursday and everyone else soon followed suit.
As they told it, the video was shot by a tour guide in Churchill, Manitoba, during a bus tour of the area. The man who shot the video, David de Muelles, said one of his passengers was reduced to tears watching the sweet moment.
But all good things must come to an end.
On Friday, the world received an unwelcome reminder that polar bears, as seemingly soft, cuddly and sweet as they are, happen to be wild animals.
Fox6 in Milwaukee reported the location where the rare moment was recorded was a dog sanctuary where bears often hang out. And at some point after the video was recorded, a bear (we don’t know if it was the one in the video)  ate one of the dogs (we think it may be a different dog than the one in the video).
The owner of the sanctuary admitted he had been feeding the bears and also admitted the attack happened on a night he failed to leave anything for the bears.
There’s a reason wildlife experts urge people not to feed wild animals. When a wild animal gets hungry…well, you know the rest.
The news of the bear attack, obviously, isn’t catching the same viral quality the video has…for obvious reasons. But it’s still a good reminder that wild animals, no matter how serene they may seem, are still wild animals.
