Chinese zoo denies human in rare sun bear costume

ISTANBUL

A Chinese zoo on Tuesday rejected claims that its sun bear is a person in disguise, following the circulation of a video showing the bear standing upright on its hind legs.

A video of the bear interacting with people at the zoo in Hangzhou city in China went viral on social media. Some doubted the bear's authenticity, claiming it was a person wearing a costume due to its upright stance and wrinkled skin, daily Thai News reported.

The zoo answered the allegations in a humorous way from the perspective of the bear in the video: “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,” said the bear, named Angela.

“Some people thought the way I stand up looks too human … so I will stress again: I’m a sun bear!” Angela, the rare sun bear, said in a statement shared by the zoo.

The sun bear is the smallest bear species, measuring about 120 to 150 centimeters (4 to 5 feet) in length and weighing between 27 to 68 kilograms (60 to 150 pounds). It is vulnerable due to habitat loss and poaching.