Chinese sun bear sparks debate as netizens call it ‘human in disguise’

A footage of a four-year-old Malayan sun bear standing on its hind legs in a bipedal posture like a 'human' at a zoo in eastern China has sparked a fiery debate online. The 15-second video was shot at Hangzhou Zoo in the eastern province of Zhejiang and was posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of the video-based platform TikTok. 

The video shows the Malaysian sun bear with human-like slender legs and wrinkled fur standing on two feet and gazing at the visitors. This led to the speculations that the bear, perhaps, is a human in a costume and that the visitors were deceived.

_{(Bear standing on the hind legs leaves visitors aghast and surprised. Credit: Twitter)}

As of Thursday, the video went viral across the social media platforms Twitter, and Instagram as well as the Chinese video-sharing platforms TikTok and Weibo. Netizens are now increasingly divided on whether the bear is real, or it is, in fact, a human in a costume. In the footage, the bear awkwardly stood upright and waved to greet visitors.

This is a real bear, not a human dressed in costumes! A four-year-old Malayan sun bear named Angela in a Hangzhou zoo went viral on China's social media as a video showed the world's smallest bear standing upright and waving to tourists just like a human. pic.twitter.com/Azv2tTVJhv

— Yicai Global 第一财经 (@yicaichina) August 1, 2023

At a zoo in China, this Sun Bear is mistaken for a person in a bear suit pic.twitter.com/S9MhC3y90m

— 🌊🌊🇺🇸CoLoRadOLiFeR🇺🇲🌊🌊 (@coloradolifer1) August 3, 2023

#chinese sun bear waves in new footage as expert says animals aren’t humans in disguise.#China #animal #Bears pic.twitter.com/megvo1we39

— Facts Addicted (@factsAddic) August 3, 2023

'A bloke in an outfit': Netizens argue

"Under is an unemployed young graduate with a computer science degree," one netizen said. "Those wrinkles at the back is a dead giveaway," another said. "Definitely a bloke in a bear outfit," meanwhile the third netizen maintained. "Probably identifies as a bear," one other joked. "Is that a Samsung Galaxy in its back pocket?" another asked. "Is it a summer intern?" one asked. 

pic.twitter.com/6E788cE0Q3

— Schoe and a Half Men (@loosest_the) August 2, 2023

ManBearPig?

— Eoin Byrne (@maxhendly83) August 1, 2023

It looks like a terrible costume but it could also be a malnourished bear, the arse is gone off him. I've seen sun bears and they stand on their hind legs like this, who knows 🤷🏻‍♂️

— Brian Stafford (@grumprechaun) August 1, 2023

In an audio recording circulating on WeChat, the Zoo snubbed the narratives that the sun bear was an imposter. It insisted that the animal is really a bear, only it is a little smaller in size and is slightly different from the ones that people are used to seeing. It released another footage showing the four-year-old bear Angela standing on her hind legs and waving to the visitors. “Those are definitely human gestures,” a netizen said “Bears can’t stand up for that long. Definitely not in a place like that,” another added.

🤣🤣

— John Paul Nagle (@Nagser82) August 1, 2023

Just jump in and see for yourself 🐻🐻🐻

— Jay Rainman (@rainman_jay) August 1, 2023

'I will stress again: I’m a sun bear!' Zoo publishes statement from bear's perspective

In a statement released from the perspective of the bear in the video, named Angela, on social media, zookeepers at Hangzhou Zoo said: “ 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 Zoo stressed that the detractors "didn't understand" the bears. "It seems that you don't know me too well," the Zoo wrote from the bear's perspective. "Think about it, there were tourists who thought I was petite and not a bear! Let me emphasize again: I am a sun bear! Not a black bear! Not a dog! It's a sun bear!"

"Not all bears are huge and dangerous personified. Our sun bear is petite, the smallest bear in the world," meanwhile the Zoo explained. “Some people thought the way I stand up looks too human … so I will stress again: I’m a sun bear!”

A spokesperson for the zoo argued that the animal was real. He reminded people that such a level of deception would not happen at a state-run facility. The bears are living at a whopping  40C (104F) temperature inside the facility in summer. It would be impossible for a human "in a fur bear suit," the Zoo argued. “A human in a costume would not last more than a few minutes before collapsing," it added. Netizens, however, are not convinced. They are even accusing some of the Chinese zoos of trying to pass off dogs which are dyed in various colours as ferocious wolves or African cats. They accused Zoos in China of painting donkeys to look like zebras.

Native to Southeast Asia, the Sun bears belong to the Ursidae family and have the ability to stand on their hind legs. Their fur is jet-black short, and very shiny, and their eyes are small, the tail is about the same length as their ears. They are an endangered species due to the loss of habitat resulting from global wildfires and deforestation.