Nowadays, some students apply for a job in various industries to earn some money while they are in school. Some of them work as service crews in fast-food chains, some apply for a job in amusement parks, and some youngsters who love animals apply in nearby zoos to closely monitor their favorite species. It is not unusual to see these working students around the world apply for various jobs.
However, when a tourist visited a zoo in China, he stopped by the black bears’ enclosure. He saw one of the bears standing by a large stone near the guardrail, observing the people passing by and occasionally waving at them. While the bear was standing, the zoo visitor noticed that the fur on its buttocks was strangely wrinkled. He couldn’t help suspecting that the bear might be a working student wearing a costume.
“I couldn’t help becoming suspicious of the ‘black bear.’ I was thinking it might be a fake.” The visitor said to local media.
Apparently, not only a single zoo visitor noticed the so-called “fake black bear.” Many have observed this, and it caused heated discussions among netizens online. The zoo did not hesitate to come forward with an explanation.
Here are some of the comments that netizens posted after the video circulated on the internet:
“The folds on the lower body are indeed a bit like a costume.”
“It really looks fake when it stands up, and it really doesn’t look fake when it sits down.”
“How can this bear’s reaction and speed be pretended by a human?”
“Hahaha! Don’t say that this big black bear has a good figure.”
“The quality of the bear’s clothes is not good. It’s all wrinkled!”
“If this is pretended by a human, you can get an Oscar for ‘Best Special Effects’.”
“Fake ones will definitely not stand up. Only real ones can move around.”
“How do fake ones lick things with their tongues?”
“It’s such a hot day. People shouldn’t be acting like bears.”
“Bears like to stand like people, and they will wave to you in the wild, and will eat you when you get close.”
“This is a sun bear. It is small and can stand upright.”
“First, this is a sun bear, not a black bear. Second, please do not feed animals. Once they develop begging behavior, it’s very hard to get it back. Animals waving to humans for food is actually an abnormal, unnatural behavior that’s caused by tourists feeding them.”
Regarding the rumors, Hangzhou Zoo took the initiative to clarify that the bears were definitely not humans in costumes. Additionally, the current daytime temperature in Hangzhou is as high as 40°Celsius. If a human would be wearing a bear costume during the daytime, it is very likely to cause heat stroke, and it can even be life-threatening to the person pretending to be a bear.
In the video, the “black bear” is actually a “sun bear”. All bears can stand, especially bears in the wild. Black bears seldom stand, but it may be possible in some situations, such as during a fight. Sun bears have a more gentle temperament, and they usually stand to interact with tourists.
Hangzhou Zoo also explained that the sun bears are the smallest among all the bear species. Their height is similar to a large dog, with their body length only as long as 110 and 150 centimeters. A sun bear’s average weight is about 55 kilograms. You may distinguish sun bears from black bears through the patterns on their chests. Black bears have a white “V” crescent pattern, while sun bears have a “U”-shaped bib pattern, which is mainly colored light brown or yellow-white.
▼ Here is a short video that circulated on the internet, causing heated discussions among netizens:
Screenshot images credits: © BBC News (Chinese)/YouTube
