Key Points
- Hangzhou Zoo in eastern China has reassured visitors its sun bears are real, and not humans in costume.
- Questions were raised after a video circulated online showing a bear standing on its hind legs.
- In a statement, the zoo said those speculating "don't understand" bears.
Hangzhou Zoo has reassured visitors its sun bears are real animals and not humans in disguise after questions were raised over a video circulating online.
The video shows a bear standing at the edge of its enclosure on its hind legs and moving its front legs.
Social media users speculated the bear could be a human in costume due to its body size and shape, and the way it was standing and moving.
The folds of fur were also pointed to as potential evidence of a costume.
The zoo released a statement from the perspective of the bear, named Angela.
"Some people think I stand like a person... It seems you don't understand me very well," the statement said.
"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.
"We Malayan bears are petite, the smallest bear in the world."
Sun bears are the smallest bears, and are a similar size to a large dog. Source: AAP / Perth Zoo / PR Image
"We are a state-owned zoo, not a private one. It is not a person.
"If you watch the video it is outdoor. The temperature reached approximately 40 degrees Celsius. If you put fur on, you're not gonna make it."
