A China zoo located in Northern China has denied information circulating across several social media platforms regarding their bears. The claims stated that these animals were people in costumes after videos of one of their Malayan sun bears standing on its two hind legs were seen. These rumors have been affecting the reputation of this center.
The messages expressed by users stated that the bear, named Angela, was fake because it looked like it had been disguised as a Malayan sun bear, but is actually a person. The posture and folds of loose fur on its behind made the animal look somehow different. Due to this, people speculated that it could have been a person impersonating the bear. This would not be the first time something like this happened, as in 2013 a city zoo passed off a Tibetan Mastiff dog as a lion.
In response, The Hangzhou Zoo, where Angela is, told people that “I’m Angela the sun bear – I got a call after work yesterday from the head of the zoo asking if I was being lazy and skipped work today and found a human to take my place. Let me reiterate again to everyone that I am a sun bear – not a black bear, not a dog – a sun bear!” while using the actual mammal to convey their message.
Malayan bears are the size of a large dog and stand at just 1.2 meters (approx. 3.9 feet) when they are in an upright position. They weigh approximately between 20 and 40 kilograms (44 and 88 pounds) for females and between 30 and 60 kilograms (66 and 132 pounds) for males. They are often forgotten species and people do not know much about them.
