Chinese zoo denies that its bears are actually humans in disguise after viral video

Footage of a sun bear standing upright has raised eyebrows on social media (Image credit: @krassenstein/Twitter)

Footage of a bear standing on its hind legs in a Chinese zoo has convinced many that the animal is actually a human dressed in a bear costume. Hangzhou zoo was forced to deny these allegations after the video went viral.

The visuals show a sun bear – the smallest bear in the world – standing upright with fur sagging above its legs. The bear’s strange appearance left many wondering if the zoo had put one of its employees in costume to fool visitors.

However, Hangzhou zoo in eastern China denied these allegations, saying that most people don’t understand bears. In a social media post written from the point of view of Angela, a Malaysian sun bear, the zoo said: “Some people think I stand like a person. It seems you don’t understand me very well.

The Hangzhou Zoo, located in Zhejiang, Hangzhou, China, had to issue a statement this weekend after people saw this video and questioned if the Sun Bears at their zoo were actually humans dressed in costumes.

The Zoo stated: “If you get someone to wear such thick fur in this… pic.twitter.com/RrhL86lcyI — Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) July 31, 2023

“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. We Malayan bears are petite, the smallest bear in the world,” the statement read, according to The Guardian.

In an audio recording that has been circulated widely on WeChat, a Chinese social media platform, a spokesperson for the zoo reportedly said the bear is real because any human wearing a fur costume in 40 degrees Celsius “would not last more than a few minutes before collapsing.” The spokesperson also said that a state-run facility would never engage in such deception.