July 31st 2023.
Hangzhou Zoo in China has been forced to deny the claims that its sun bears are actually humans in disguise. This rumour began to circulate after guests noticed the animals' uncanny resemblance to people when standing upright.
Pictures of the animals have since been widely shared online, with one bear in particular gaining attention after appearing to stand on its hind legs for an extended period of time. While this behaviour is not uncommon for sun bears, as they are known to stand upright when attempting to climb trees or scavenge for food, many said it was hard to deny the resemblance between the bear and a human. Some even suggested that the animal’s skin, which appeared to be bunched around its hips, resembled an ill-fitted bear suit.
In response to the rumours, Hangzhou Zoo posted a cheeky statement from the perspective of a sun bear named Angela. In the post, Angela said, “Some people think I stand like a person... It seems you don’t understand me very well. When it comes to bears, the first thing that comes to mind is a huge figure and astonishing power. But not all bears are behemoths and danger personified.”
The Zoo went on to explain that sun bears are actually a petite species, among the smallest in the world, similar in size to a large dog. These animals are native to rainforests in South East Asia and are currently listed as endangered.
The topic of people dressing up in animal costumes has become popular this week, after a man’s lifelong dream to become a dog was realised in Japan. The canine enthusiast spent over $20,000 to create an ultra-realistic dog suit that was fitted to his body shape and resembled a border collie.
It looks like the wild rumour about Hangzhou Zoo’s sun bears being humans in disguise has been put to bed. The Zoo has cleared up any confusion and explained that the animals are actually just petite sun bears trying to climb trees or scavenge for food.
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