A zoo in China is getting a lot of attention online after social media users remarked that one of its bears looks like a man in a costume.
Video footage recorded at Hangzhou Zoo in the eastern province of Zhejiang shows a Malayan sun bear named Angela standing upright on its hind legs as onlookers peer down into the bear’s enclosure.
The bear’s fur hung relatively loose along its lower back and posterior, giving some observers the impression that the animal was actually a human in a bear suit.
“[W]rinkly seat happens when the back rise is too long. [R]equires 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,” posted one social media user.
“You see the photo, that IS ABSOLUTELY a dude in a costume,” Evan Santiago wrote on Facebook.
Another video captured Angela from a different angle. The bear appears to wave at onlookers.
“I’m kind of hoping that is a bear costume. Bears don’t have sagging bums unless they are malnourished,” commented Catherine Ann Keohane-Johnson.
The zoo caught on to the hype online and issued a response on its website, written from the perspective of Angela the sun bear:
“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!”
Malayan sun bears have a deep black color that contrasts with the crescent-shaped patch of gold or white fur on their chests, from which the species gets its name. Sun bears, known for their agility, are typically between 4 and 5 feet tall when standing upright and can weigh up to 145 pounds.
“Sun bears could be very human-like. They stand like humans and walk like humans,” said Wong Siew Te, founder of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Malaysia, according to NBC News.
He further noted that female sun bears can carry their babies with their “hands” while walking on their hind legs.
“Sun bears are the least known bears in the world. I believe the incident could call people’s attention on how sun bears may look like humans and hopefully could [let people know] that they are endangered species because of human activities,” he added, per NBC News.
