Bear or human in costume? China zoo clarifies after video of animal standing on hind legs goes viral

The bear in question is a 'sun bear', usually found in Southeast Asia. It is called 'Angela' and is a resident of the Hangzhou Zoo in China.

A zoo in China has clarified that some of its bears are really bears and not humans in bear costumes after there were accusations on social media that the animals were actually employees of the zoo dressed up in furry bear outfits, according to a report by The Independent. So what exactly prompted the social media backlash? It was the images of one of the animals which seemed like it was standing upright in its enclosure to have a look around.

While it is not uncommon for bears to stand up on its hind legs, the photos from the zoo seemed like the animal might not be actually a bear because it seemed the 'fur' was sagging above its legs, which social media users found odd and much too 'human'.

The bear in question is a 'sun bear', usually found in Southeast Asia. Its name is 'Angela' and is a resident of the Hangzhou Zoo in eastern Zhejiang province in China.

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“Some people think I stand like a person,” said a post from Hangzhou Zoo on its social media account, written from the point of view of Angela, a Malaysian sun bear. “It seems you don’t understand me very well.”

The official X (formerly known as Twitter) handle of Hangzhou also shared a couple of photos of a sun bear.

A bear🐻 stands up to mingle in the #Hangzhou Zoo! It sounds like a joke, and people wondered if it was a real bear or just someone in disguise, but it's true!🤣 Who knew bears liked to socialize? PS: It's actually a Malayan bear, the smallest bear type ever! @AnimalPlanet pic.twitter.com/YkORrKZfCd

— Hangzhoufeel (@hangzhoufeel) July 31, 2023

This particular kind of bear is smaller than other bears but are absolutely real, the zoo said. They are usually just above 4 feet tall. "When it comes to bears, the first thing that comes to mind is a huge figure and amazing power... But not all bears are behemoths and danger personified," the post said.

The zoo also reportedly clarified that it would be impossible for a human being to stay in that thick a costume like that in the summer heat.

"A human would not last more than a few minutes before collapsing," they said. The zoo had also reportedly arranged for journalists to see the bear from close quarters to clear any doubt.

Meanwhile, the number of visitors to the zoo shot up 30 per cent to around 20,000 a day, the Zhejiang-based Chao News reported after the video of the bear started trending on social media.