The Hangzhou Zoo in eastern China has denied rumours and suggestions that some of its sun bears might be people dressed in costumes, ABC news reported on July 31.
In a statement released on July 30 by the zookeepers at Hangzhou Zoo, Angela, a Malaysian sun bear, was represented as saying,
"When people think of bears, they usually imagine massive creatures with incredible strength. However, not all bears are giants or perceived as dangerous. Malayan bears are actually quite small, being the smallest bear species in the world."
A video of a sun bear standing on its hind legs had been circulating on social media, leading some individuals to observe that its slender legs and fur folds gave the impression of a human pretending to be a bear.
https://twitter.com/TODAYonline/status/1685971005175668736Despite the zoo's assurance that the bears are genuine, incidents of Chinese zoos attempting to pass off other animals as different species have been reported in the past. These incidents include dogs dyed to resemble wolves or African cats and donkeys painted to look like zebras. Such practices have raised concerns about animal welfare and ethical standards in some Chinese zoos.
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