Chinese social media thinks this sun bear in Hangzhou zoo is a human in disguise. Zoo reveals the truth

Did you ever go to a zoo and wondered whether the wild animal you are looking at is fake and probably a human in a costume? It's highly unlikely. But visitors at Hangzhou Zoo in China seemed to think that a bear at the facility is actually a human being in a costume and it is as absurd as it sounds. 

Rumours were flying about on Chinese social media that a sun bear at Hangzhou Zoo in Zhejiang province of China is actually a person in a bear costume. 

Why?

• A video shows a sun bear at the zoo where the animal is standing up straight on its hind legs and taking a look at the visitors. 

共匪🇨🇳動物園

動物🐻都是假的

人穿黑熊套皮毛被大陸人發現

共匪邪教鍋什麼都能造假 pic.twitter.com/mOy6J51zIp

— 少俠 (@shaoxia33139500) July 30, 2023

• The video also zooms in on its hip area, where its skin is bagging. 
• People on social media questioned how the bear is able to stand up so straight on its legs like a human being and support its bulky body. 
• People also said that the skin bagging around its hips looks like a person is wearing an ill-fitted bear costume. This made people think that the bear is a fake.

Real or not?

• China may spew propaganda all the time, but this time the zoo authorities are telling the truth. The sun bears at the zoo including the bear in the video are all REAL. They are NOT humans in disguise. 

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

• Hangzhou Zoo even put out a social media post, according to the BBC, from the perspective of the bear saying that people don't seem to understand the species very well. 

• Moreover, the audio accompanying the viral video is that of a zoo spokesperson that's actually saying that a human in a fur bear suit wouldn't last even a few minutes in the heat. He also says that a state-run zoo wouldn't pull such tricks. 

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Sun bears

• To understand why the bear looks so peculiar, we need to understand the species.
• Sun bears are endangered animals found in the forests of South East Asia including in parts of India. 
• They are also known as Malayan bears and honey bears. They are called sun bears because of a circular yellowish fur path on their chest that some say looks like a rising sun. 

• They are also the smallest bears in the world, with the average height being 4ft tall when they are standing up on their hind legs. That's less than half the size of a grizzly bear found in North America. 
• For reference, they are the size of a big dog. 
• The bagging skin is also a feature that is typical of a sun bear. The loose skin allows the bears to move around in their skin and fight back if they are caught by a predator like a tiger. 
• They also have long tongues. 

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