A viral video spread online shows a black bear in a Chinese zoo standing on its hind legs on the edge of a rock formation and waving its paws at onlookers.
The sun bear exhibit at the Hangzhou Zoo is said to be a top pick for tourists, yet there seems to be more going on than what meets the eye.
A Human in Disguise?
According to Hangzhou Daily, via The Straits Times, the video's original uploader believes the "talented" bear is really a person in disguise.
The zoo issued a statement on Saturday, July 29, denying the accusation. It said that the day the video was shot, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius so any person dressed in a suit could not have survived the heat.
Even still, another Chinese news source said some individuals insist on thinking the black bear was really a person dressed up in a costume. They made a note of the bear's waddling and standing posture, which they compared to that of a person, and of the way, the bear's rear looked to be folded like a pair of trousers.
Similar skepticism was expressed by commenters online. A reader noted, "Its posture is more (upright) than humans!" Another person said, "Bears' forelimbs cannot be spread out to the sides. This is undoubtedly a human being."
A Weibo user observed that the bear in a video of the attraction makes it appear like it is wearing a leather jacket.
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Previous Odd Zoo Exhibits
It is not the first time that news about a zoo in China has made international headlines due to displays that raise eyebrows.
British publication Daily Mail reported in 2019 that Yancheng Wild Animal World in Changzhou, a city in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, caused uproar by ordering its employees to dress like gorillas. A parent witnessed two zookeepers in full-body costumes leaping about the gorilla cage, and they looked completely out of place.
The zoo said that the "human gorillas" were part of a planned April Fool's Day event to attract more visitors. It went on to say that it did not anticipate any confusion among guests due to the setup.
Also, CNN reported in 2013 that a zoo in Luohe, Henan, had attempted to pass off a huge hairy dog as a lion. The tourist and her kid entered the cage labeled "African lion," but instead of a tremendous roar, they were welcomed with bark, as reported by Beijing Youth Daily.
It was determined that the hairy animal was, in fact, a Tibetan mastiff.
Additional animals in the park were reported mislabeled, too, including a white fox in the leopard enclosure and another dog in the wolf cage. To restore the animals to their proper exhibits, the park informed CNN that they had been temporarily swapped for unknown reasons.
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