Chinese Zoo Denies That Bear in Enclosure Is Really a Human in Costume The bear has created a frenzy on social media.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
A zoo in China is going viral after a video emerged of a suspicious-looking sun bear that people think might actually be a human in a costume — something the zoo is vehemently denying.
In the video, a Malayan sun bear named Angela can be seen in its enclosure at the Hangzhou Zoo in the Eastern province of Zhejiang in China. The bear stands upright and begins waving at tourists in a human-like manner, opening its mouth as if to speak. Eagle-eyed viewers also noticed that the bear's backside appears to be wrinkled in a way that looks like a costume that's too big.
A Chinese Zoo has attempted to convince visitors that this is a real bear.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) August 1, 2023
After this video went viral in China the zoo stated this was in fact a real sun bear.
Real bear? Or man in costume? ? pic.twitter.com/oUPBMfZGVp
A Zoo in China stuffed a guy in a bear suit pretending to be a real Sun bear
— Macrodosing (@MacrodosingPod) August 2, 2023
pic.twitter.com/EnZ0TAdzm0
At the end of the clip, the bear falls to its bottom and sits down before crawling off on all fours back to its enclosure.
The footage sparked mass backlash on social media as viewers pointed out the bear's uncanny resemblance to a human being, accusing the zoo of putting a person in a bear suit to mislead tourists and zoo-goers.
"The head you can see was a mask. The eyes never moved and were squinted like it was a dead bear," one Twitter user wrote. "The waving, come on this is supposed to be a wild bear."
The zoo, however, spoke on behalf of Angela and explained that the bear was in fact real.
"Some people think that I am a person when I stand up," said 'Angela' from the zoo's official social media account. "It seems that you don't know me too well. Previously, some tourists thought that I was too tiny to be a bear. I have to emphasize again: I am a Malayan sun bear! Not a black bear! Not a dog! A sun bear!"
The zoo also maintained that it would be way too hot for a human to sustain such temperatures inside a furry costume.
"Our zoo is government-run, so that kind of situation would not happen," a staff member told local media according to The Guardian. "The temperature in the summer is nearly 40 degrees, if you put on a fur suit, you certainly couldn't last more than a few minutes without lying down."
The Malayan sun bear is the smallest and rarest bear in the world, known for its distinguishable white patches on their chests and love of honey. The bears are approximately to be 3.5 to 4.5 feet long and can weigh anywhere from 60 to 145 pounds.
