This is the moment a rare Himalayan bear sniffs a tree to check for the scent of other bears before rubbing itself against the tree and getting a back scratch at the same time.

The clip, recorded on a capture camera in Land of the Leopard National Park in Russia, shows the bear approaching the tree and giving the trunk a good sniff before it turns around.

Then the bear stands on its hind legs and ecstatically rubs its back all over the rough bark.

Satisfied, he drops to all fours and walks away, pausing briefly to sniff a second tree for further signs of other bears.

Experts say that bears do not only use trees to scratch their backs but use them as scent-marking posts as well.

National Park representatives said in a statement: 'The Himalayan bear showed us a visual aid on how to please your loved one and communicate with others.

'In order to leave its scent and mark the territory, the bear turns to the tree and, standing or sitting on its hind legs, begins to rub its back and the back of its head, leaving a lot of fur during the moulting period.

'Also thanks to this 'pole dance', they get resin their fur so that they are not bitten by midges, fleas and ticks.'