Visitors to a zoo in China thought it was a man in disguise instead of a bear

A zoo in eastern China has dismissed speculation that some of its bears were humans wearing costumes after videos of a Malayan sun bear standing up on its hind legs and looking human went viral, fueling rumors and conspiracy theories in Chinese social networks.

In a statement written from the perspective of a sun bear named “Angela”, Hangzhou Zoo officials said people “do not understand” the species.

“My name is Angela the sun bear. Yesterday, after work, the director of the zoo called me and asked if I was lazy and skipped work today, and found a person in my place, ”the statement says.

“Let me once again declare to everyone that I am a sun bear – not a black bear, not a dog – a sun bear!”

In videos posted on the popular Chinese microblogging site Weibo, a sun bear was seen standing upright on a rock and peering out of its enclosure.

Many Weibo users noted the upright position of the animal, as well as the folds of loose fur on its back, which made the bear look somewhat strange, and this gave rise to speculation that a human impostor could be disguised in his place.

Zoos in China have drawn public ridicule in the past for trying to pass off pets like dogs as wild animals.

In 2013, a city zoo in the central province of Henan angered visitors by trying to pass off a Tibetan mastiff as a lion. Visitors who approached the enclosure expressed shock when they heard the “lion’s” bark.

Visitors to another Chinese zoo in Sichuan were shocked to find a golden retriever sitting in a cage labeled “African Lion Enclosure”.