Hangzhou Zoo dismisses suggestion one of its bears might be a person in a costume after footage of standing animal prompts accusations.
A zoo in China has denied that one of its sun bears is actually a human in a costume after footage of an animal standing on its hind legs raised online accusations of a furry impostor.
The video clip of the bear rearing up and interacting with a group of people at the zoo in eastern Hangzhou city went viral on Chinese social media over the weekend.
Many social media users posted comments doubting that the bear was real, with some alleging that its bipedal posture and wrinkled skin suggested that it was actually a human in a costume.
Hangzhou Zoo dismissed the rumours, saying on Monday on its social media accounts that the sun bears from Malaysia are smaller than other bears and look different but are the real thing.
It came after the zoo issued a statement written from the bear’s perspective, saying its detractors “really don’t understand me”.
“The zoo director called me after work yesterday and asked if I’d been slacking off by finding a two-legged beast to replace me,” Sunday’s statement added.
