Zoos in the United Kingdom have shared their own footage of sun bears behaving like humans, after a bear at a zoo in China gained worldwide fame because people have said it looks like a person in a costume.
The Malayan sun bear at China's Hangzhou Zoo was first accused of personhood after it was recorded standing and looking at zoo attendees, with the appearance of wrinkly pants.
The next day, that very same bear, named Angela, was spotted waving to patrons to further add mystery to the human-bear question.
Zoos in the U.K. have come out in defense of the 4-year-old sun bear, however, sharing their own footage of their bears acting human-like.
Managers at the Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire, England, said that the sun bears display mannerisms comparable to those of humans, according to the New York Post.
The zoo posted multiple videos to its Instagram page to confirm that its bear "is a sun bear" and not a person in disguise.
The Edinburgh Zoo also posted its own photo of a sun bear with a similar caption that said the zoo "can confirm" that its bear "IS a sun bear."
The Chinese zoo had previously defended itself by taking to its official social media account to make comments from the bear's perspective.
“Some people think I stand like a human, and it seems that you don’t understand me that much,” Hangzhou Zoo wrote.
The zoo received backup from wildlife experts across the world.
Ashleigh Marshall, an expert from Chester Zoo in England, told the BBC that the animal “is definitely a real bear,” but added that sun bears do often “look a lot like people in their costumes.”
Wong Siew Te, a wildlife biologist and founder of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Malaysia, told NBC News that it was "a sun bear for sure." He added that “sun bears could be very human-like. They stand like humans and walk like humans."
The Chinese outlet that posted the footage of the bear waving also claimed that it was "a real bear, not a human dressed in costumes!"
As for the rolls on the bear's alleged "pants," experts said that the folds help protect from predators, as the loose skin allows the bear to “turn around” and fight back if attacked.
The conspiracy theory increased visitor numbers at the Hangzhou Zoo by 30% in just a day, according to the New York Post, citing Chao News.
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