Chinese zoo forced to deny Sun Bear is actually a human in a costume after social media video goes viral

A zoo in Hangzhou, China, has been forced to speak out and deny one of its bears is actually a human in a costume after a video of a Sun Bear in one of their enclosures went viral on social media.

The video shows the bear on its hind legs, with some people quick to speculate that it could be a human, with people noting that its slender legs and folds of fur made it look like a human was acting the part of the bear.

This prompted the zoo to release a statement on Sunday (July 30). They said: “When it comes to bears, the first thing that comes to mind is a huge figure and amazing 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 bear species, and the zoo said that they are usually around the size of a large dog. They are an endangered species native to the rainforests of South East Asia.

A separate spokesperson for the zoo was also quick to deny rumours, stating that the animal was in fact real, and ‘such deception’ would not happen at a state-run facility. They also added, a human in a fur bear suit “would not last more than a few minutes before collapsing”, due to the heat.

To finally put rumours to bed once and for all, a zoo employee told AP news agency over the phone that arrangements were being made to allow reporters to go to the zoo to see the bear on Monday, July 31.