BIZARRE footage of a bear in a Chinese zoo has got internet sleuths claiming it must be a human dressed up in a costume – until now.
The Sun bear, standing on its hind legs and waving, has drawn worldwide attention with social media users quickly jumping to their own conclusions.
“Those are definitely human gestures,” commented one person. “Bears can’t stand up for that long. Definitely not in place like that,” another stated.
The zoo has hit back with a statement as if from the bear – who is called Angela and supposedly four years old – itself.
“Some people think I stand like a person… It seems you don’t understand me very well,” it read.
“When it comes to bears, the first thing that comes to mind is a huge figure and astonishing power… But not all bears are behemoths and danger personified.”
The zoo has pointed out that Sun bears often stand on their hind legs and the bears are around 1.3m (4ft) tall when doing so, which is less than half the size of grizzly bears and makes them among the smallest of the species in the world.
Dr Ashleigh Marshall, an expert from Chester Zoo, has got involved though and confirmed that the animal in the video is undeniably a real bear, while acknowledging that Sun bears can sometimes bear (no pun) a striking resemblance to people in costumes.
During her appearance on the BBC, she addressed the ruffled appearance of the bear’s skin around its rear end, explaining that this is a natural and crucial aspect of its anatomy. The folds serve as a protective mechanism against predators, as the looseness of the skin enables the bear to manoeuvre and defend itself effectively.
Dr. Marshall clarified that if a large animal like a tiger were to attack, the bear could skilfully “turn around in their skin” and mount a counterattack in response.
A UK wildlife park has also jumped into the foray and into the defence of the Chinese zoo by showing their own Sun bears’ behaviour which does seem incredibly human-like.
As for bosses at the zoo itself they can certainly grin and bear it after seeing a 30 per cent jump in visitors since the video first emerged.
