"That's a grown man": Chinese Zoo Sun bear video sparks hilarious reactions online 

On Sunday, July 30, a video surfaced on social media which showed a bear-like animal standing on its hind legs at a zoo in eastern China. Since then, the footage has drawn hilarious reactions online with netizens claiming it is a human dressed in a costume.

Regardless, the video of the animal standing upright on its hind legs made people online speculate that it is a human dressed in an animal costume, considering its slender legs and pant-like folds on its rear side of the fur. One user even commented under @PopBase’s tweet reporting the same.

A netizen makes a hilarious comment. (Image via Twitter/PINKBAWBlE)

The zoo in question, Hangzhou Zoo, refuted all claims and rumors, telling The Guardian that the animal in question was actually a Malayan sun bear named Angela rather than a person dressed as one. In fact, from the animal’s perspective, the zoo issued a statement that read:

“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 amazing power…But not all bears are behemoths and danger personified. We Malayan bears are petite, the smallest bear in the world.”

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“Not even a good bear suit”: A sun bear video from a Chinese zoo receives wild reactions from netizens

Apart from issuing an official statement claiming that the animal in the viral video was a Malayan sun bear, a spokesperson of the Hangzhou Zoo also circulated an audio recording via WeChat to several media outlets worldwide, including The Guardian.

He re-confirmed that the animal was indeed real and that such deception could never happen in a state-run facility. He further noted how a human in a fur suit “would not last more than a few minutes before collapsing” in the current 40 degrees Celsius summer heat in eastern China.

Despite all reaffirmations, netizens had wild reactions to the footage of the animal standing on its hind legs and moving around swiftly.

Check out some of the most hilarious comments online:

A netizen ridicules that suit. (Image via Twitter/Mark Lloyd)

A netizen says that the animal looks malnourished. (Image via Twitter/Dave_Lister)

A tweet says that the suit is pretty good. (Image via Twitter/SCW)

A netizen hilariously points out that the animal's face lacks animation. (Image via Twitter/ParasiteX)

A tweet saying it's a human in a suit. (Image via Twitter/Jonny5)

A netizen mocks the video. (Image via Twitter/Stephen Soos)

A netizen says it's not an animal. (Image via Twitter/steven)

A netizen saying it's a human, not an animal. (Image via Twitter/ninten)

The Hangzhou Zoo organized a site visit for reporters to come and see for themselves whether the animal is real or not. According to the zoo, these are one of the smallest species, about the size of large dogs, and can stand 1.3 meters tall on their hind legs, as opposed to grizzlies and other species that can stand 2.8 meters tall.

Also known by the name honey bears and scientific name Helarctos malayanus (native to Malaysia), can be found across tropical forests of Southeast Asia, although they are endangered. In fact, it is not unusual for them to stand up and interact with human visitors as they have mild temperaments.

This is not the first time a Chinese zoo has been accused of trying to misrepresent a human or other animals as different species. Earlier, other Chinese zoos faced similar allegations. For instance, in 2013, CNN reported that the Louhe Zoo tried to pass off dyed Tibetan mastiff dogs as wolves or lions.

Likewise, the news outlet also reported that the leopards in the zoo were actually white foxes. Similarly, in 2019, MailOnline reported that donkeys were painted to look like zebras and humans disguised as gorillas in Yancheng Wild Animal World. Later, the zoo claimed it was part of their April Fools’ Day prank.