A zoo in eastern China has denied suggestions that its bears are in fact people dressed in costumes, after a video of one standing like a human went viral on social media.
Footage of the Malayan sun bear standing on its hind legs sparked speculation on the Chinese internet over the weekend, but the zoo in the eastern province of Zhejiang insisted it really is a bear — just a little smaller and different to the ones we’re used to.
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“Some people think I stand like a human, and it seems that you don’t understand me that much,” Hangzhou Zoo wrote on its official social media account on Sunday from the perspective of the bear in the video, named Angela. “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 video of the bear standing and interacting with tourists circulated widely online after a 15-second clip was posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, on July 27.