A Chinese zoo has cleared the air over speculations that its Malayan sun bears are in fact people dressed in mere costumes, following a video of one that stood on its hind legs like a human went viral online.
On its official social media account, Hangzhou Zoo penned a message to the public, seemingly written from the perspective of the famed bear named Angela, saying “Some people think I stand like a human, and it seems that you don’t understand me that much. Previously, some tourists thought that I was too tiny to be a bear. I have to emphasize again: I am a Malayan sun bear! Not a black bear! Not a dog! A sun bear!”
The confusion gained traction as people questioned whether the bear was a human in disguise considering its demeanor and its physical appearance. A Twitter user scrutinized the visible folds of fur on its body, pointing out that the same effect resembles that of loose-fitting clothes on humans.
wrinkly seat happens when the back rise is too long. requires a tailor to shorten the back rise by pinning the pants up to the waistband, removing excess material, and then dropping the crotch seam, so as to not give the wearer a wedgie https://t.co/I2IYquRboi pic.twitter.com/PkFYwnz2S6
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) July 31, 2023
Amidst the clamor, Wong Siew Te, a wildlife biologist and the founder of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Malaysia reported that such speculations aren’t grounded on factual bases, affirming that the animal in the video is indeed a sun bear. He has been studying the animal for about 25 years.
“Sun bears could be very human-like,” he said. “They stand like humans and walk like humans.” In fact, sun bear mothers have the ability to carry their offspring with their hands and walk with their hind legs.
According to the zoo, sun bears are the smallest among the bear family, standing at most 1.3 meters. Other larger species can stand at most 2.8 meters tall on their hind legs.
Wong claimed that sun bears are the least known bears to date. He said the incident could raise awareness about sun bears, particularly on how they resemble humans. He added that due to large-scale deforestation and hunting, sun bears are considered endangered species as an effect of these human activities.
Sun bears are listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are a protected species in native countries like Malaysia. According to conservation groups, their numbers have declined by 35% over the past three decades.
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