A polar bear who just bubbles with fun much to the delight of his adoring fans

These days, the 1,000lb beast will do almost anything to entertain the crowd at the zoo where he lives.

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Hide and seek: Wilhelm plays a game in his tank

Some of his favourite tricks are blowing bubbles at onlookers while right up against the glass of his tank, and sticking his head into a bucket.

A volunteer at the North Carolina Zoological Park, Valerie Abbott, captured these images of Wilhelm at play.

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Blowout: The party trick that delights his fans

The bear, 20, and his tank-mate Masha, 24, were among six polar bears confiscated from the Suarez Brothers Circus in southern Puerto Rico in 2002.

Miss Abbott said: "When Wilhelm starts swimming up to the window and looks right at you it is an amazing thing to experience.

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Paws for air: Welhelm takes a break from performing

"One of his tricks as he swims by is to reach a paw out.

"I have seen children and adults get a big thrill out of putting their hand up to his paw. It's almost like an underwater high-five."

Wilhelm spent his youth in the circus so has lots of crowd-pleasing tricks