Hangzhou Zoo said on its social media account on Monday that Malaysia’s sun bears are smaller and look different than other bears. In a post written from the perspective of a sun bear named Angela, Hangzhou Zoo said: “Some people think I stand like a person… It seems you don’t understand me very well.”
It is a majestic sight to see bears standing on two legs like humans. However, a bear in a zoo in China was behaving so humanly that people doubted whether it was a real bear or not. After pictures of animals posing like humans went viral online, a zoo in east China has denied reports of the otherworldly. Hangzhou Zoo said on its social media account on Monday that Malaysia’s sun bears are smaller and look different than other bears. In a post written from the perspective of the sun bear named Angela, the Hangzhou Zoo said that some people think it is standing like a person… it seems you don’t understand it very well.
When it comes to bears, the first thing that comes to mind is an enormous size and amazing strength… but not all bears are giant and a symbol of danger. According to a BBC report, the zoo used the bear’s voice to emphasize that sun bears are slender, the smallest bears in the world. Hangzhou Zoo also arranged for journalists to see them on Monday. But why did social media users ume the bear was a costumed person, and what are zoo officials saying? We take a closer look.
Why are people questioning the bear?
The video footage shows the sun bear standing tall at the edge of its enclosure, paws beside it, presumably looking at zoo guests. People on social media questioned how the bear could stand so upright on such thin legs, as well as showing pouches of skin around its hips, which it compared to an ill-fitting bear suit. He accused the Hangzhou Zoo in Zhejiang province of dressing humans as bears. According to the newspaper Hangzhou Daily, the way he is standing has led some people online to question whether he is a human in disguise. Other Chinese zoos have faced similar accusations, with some being accused of trying to paint dogs to look like wolves or African cats and even donkeys to look like zebras. Is.
Is the bear real?
Chester Zoo specialist Dr Ashley Marshall told the BBC that the animal in the video is definitely a real bear, although she admits that sun bears can look just like people in their costumes. He further noted that the tangled appearance of the skin around the bear’s back is a normal and important aspect of its anatomy.
WATCH: 🐻 A viral video of a black sun bear at the Hangzhou Zoo in China’s Zhejiang province has some netizens convinced that it is a human in disguise. The zoo has since spoken out to quell the rumours, maintaining that it is “definitely a real animal”. pic.twitter.com/hzHOZSnLPT
— TODAY (@TODAYonline) July 31, 2023