A Chinese zoo has been forced to “bear all” its secrets, following allegations its popular bear is actually a human in disguise.
The Hangzhou Zoo in China gained international interest after a video of one of its bears standing on its hind legs went viral, forcing officials to deny it was a human in a costume.
A new video of the zoo’s four-year-old sun bear, named Angela, has caused further doubt, showing the human-like bear waving to visitors who have flocked to see the mysterious mammal, the New York Post reports.
However, an animal expert has spoken out against claims the Chinese sun bear is a human in a lifelike bear suit, insisting it is in fact a real bear.
Ashleigh Marshall, an expert from Chester Zoo, told the BBC that the animal “is definitely a real bear,” although she agreed with dubious zoo visitors that sun bears do often “look a lot like people in their costumes”.
Ms Marshall pointed out the folds on the sun bear’s back — which doubtful viewers assumed was evidence of a human in an ill-fitting costume — were actually to help protect the bear from predators, with the loose skin allowing the bear to “turn around” and fight back if attacked.
Hangzhou Zoo addressed the wild allegations in a statement on Monday, pretending to be from Angela, the bear seen standing up and staring at bemused-looking visitors.
“Some people think I stand like a person. It seems you don’t understand me very well,” the statement said.
The local Hangzhou Daily first noted the attention, writing: “Because of the way they stand, some people online question whether they are ‘humans in disguise’.”
That forced zookeepers to note that the sun bears from Malaysia are smaller than other bears and have a different appearance — but are just as real.
Following the video of the bear going viral, the conspiracy has fuelled a 30 per cent increase in visitor numbers at Hangzhou Zoo in the Zhejiang province a day, reported Chao News.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and is republished here with permission