A viral video of a polar bear gently patting a dog at Mile 5 Dog Sanctuary in Churchill Manitoba may have been short lived. On Thursday a report surfaced that one of the dogs had been killed and eaten by a polar bear late last week.

A Manitoba Sustainable Development spokesperson told CBC News that conservation officers removed three polar bears from Brian Ladoon’s property:

“Conservation officers had to immobilize a bear in that area last week and move it to the holding facility because it killed one of his dogs. A mother and cub were also removed because there were allegations the bears were being fed and the females’ behavior was becoming a concern.”

Ladoon, who breeds Canadian sled dogs at the sanctuary, told the news it was the only day the bears weren’t fed as no one left food out for them to eat. Previously Ladoon stated if the bears misbehaved, the dogs would bark and “put the bears in place.” Manitoba’s Endangered Species and Ecosystem Act specifically states:

“No person shall kill, injure, possess, disturb or interfere with an endangered species, a threatened species, or an extirpated species that has been reintroduced.”

Ladoon admits he has broken the law as to feeding the bears and interfering with their status thus endangering their lives. Experts fear the bears associate dogs and humans with food, and if they migrate to other remote communities while out in the Arctic, they might try to kill other animals or humans for food. And although Ladoon previously compared the relationship between his dogs and bears as “nature’s will” this could all mean a death sentence for the bears.

To view the video, click here.