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Chinese zoo denies rare sun bear is human in disguise

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Agence France-Presse

<p>BEIJING, China -- A Chinese zoo has been forced to deny that its sun bear is actually a human in a costume, after footage of one standing on its hind legs raised online accusations of a furry imposter.</p><p>A video clip of a bear rearing up and interacting with a group of people at a zoo in eastern Hangzhou city went viral on Chinese social media.</p><p>Many 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 costume.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A video of a &quot;human-like&quot; black <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bear?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bear</a> 🐻at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hangzhou?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hangzhou</a> Zoo went viral! But the zoo staff denies it&#x27;s a person in disguise—too hot to bear! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/animal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#animal</a> <a href="https://t.co/47y9VzslYQ">pic.twitter.com/47y9VzslYQ</a></p>— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) <a href="https://twitter.com/shanghaidaily/status/1685909928102260736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2023</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>But the zoo dismissed the rumors, saying in a statement written from the bear&#x27;s perspective on Sunday that the animal was real and its detractors &quot;really don&#x27;t understand me&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The zoo director called me after work yesterday and asked if I&#x27;d been slacking off by finding a two-legged beast to replace me,&quot; the bear, named Angela, said in the statement.</p><p>&quot;Some people thought the way I stand up looks too human... so I will stress again: I&#x27;m a sun bear!&quot;</p><p>Native to Southeast Asia, sun bears are named for a patch of bright orange or cream-colored chest fur that stands out against the rest of its jet-black coat.</p><p>It is the smallest bear -- about the size of a large dog -- and is listed as a vulnerable species due to deforestation and the global wildlife trade.</p><p>Other Chinese zoos have previously been accused of stocking their enclosures with animals that are not what they seem -- including a hairy dog passed off as an &quot;African lion&quot; and a pool filled with penguin-shaped balloons.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

A Chinese zoo has been forced to deny that its sun bear is actually a human in a costume.