News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

This is the amazing moment a bored polar bear began rolling around and playing with a fishing net in the snow.

Just like a child, the huge beast looked delighted with its new toy, which had been left behind by a subsistence fisherman.

The images of the cuddly critter were captured by wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski, 44, in the North Slope region of Alaska.

Steven said: “The bear was just playing with the net and at no time was it stuck or trapped."

He added: “I thought it might but the more I watched, the more I could see the bear knew exactly what it was doing.

“It would put the net over its head and get under it, pulling it over its body and playing with it with a sense of pure joy.”

The bear, believed to be between four and six-years-old, grappled with the net for nearly an hour before the novelty began to wear thin.

Steven said: “When it was done, it got out of the net and stood up and moved on."

The New York-born snapper took the shots from the safety of a skiff off the shore of the barrier island.

He said: “It is not dangerous to photograph bears if you follow a few simple rules: give them their space, and be on a platform that is safe and allows you to move out of the area and away from the bears when it is time to go."

He added: “You also need to watch the bear and pay attention to the animal and its behaviour.

“It takes time to learn how to read the behaviour of the animal to understand what is safe and what is not safe.”

Looking at Kazlowski's heartwarming images of the polar bear tumbling in the freezing snow, it is easy to forget it is one of nature's most powerful hunters.

Steven said: "It is good to see such a large predator take so much time out for play, it shows it is one of the great joys of a polar bear's life."