A prized bear at a Taiwan zoo has been filmed strolling and “greeting” delighted visitors in a suspiciously humane manner, forcing the attraction to deny that the animals are “costumed staff”.
Visitors to the Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung couldn’t believe their eyes when the black bear, named Bobby, approached them.
The curious creature was caught on camera jumping on a log and standing on its hind legs while looking out of its enclosure at waving passersby.
Some suggested that its stability on two feet and height comparable to that of a human indicated it was a person in costume, but the zoo rejected the speculation, saying anyone in a furry suit would be “too hot” in the high temperatures.
It comes after similar suspicions arose about bears at a Chinese wildlife park last year, sparking a furious online dispute over whether they were people in bear suits or real bears.
Some suggested that its stability on two feet and its height comparable to that of a human indicated that it was a person in disguise.
The curious creature was caught on camera jumping on a log before standing on its hind legs.
The latest video of a human-like bear, filmed yesterday in Taiwan, also sparked a huge response, with many joking that the zoo is “working students” on work experience.
According to the zoo, Bobby also sparked an argument in 2016 when locals began suggesting he was actually a human in disguise.
However, the zoo clarified that Taiwanese black bears can stand upright in the wild.
At that time, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Ju also stepped in to confirm that the animals at Shoushan Zoo are real and not students.
Returning to the popular debate, locals joked that Bobby looks more like a worker in a costume than a real black bear.
One said: “He walks so steadily on two feet, he must be a working student.”
Another added: “He looks like a human being.” The height of him is around 6 feet.
“Shoushan Zoo is so scandalous that the students work too hard,” someone else joked.
Another commented: ‘Stop pretending. Take off your costume.
A spokesperson for Shoushan Zoo He denied his bear was fake, saying, “If a person wore a bear costume, they would go to bed within minutes because of the heat.”
Similar accusations were leveled at the Hangzhou Zoo in China last August, when a bear with strange wrinkled fur and thin legs left people baffled, raising questions about whether it was a man or a beast.
Bobby, the Taiwanese black bear, is seen on all fours at Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung.
The zoo’s sun bear was filmed greeting visitors while standing on its hind legs.
Officials also claimed that a human in a fur bear suit “would not last more than a few minutes before collapsing” in the 40°C summer temperatures.
An extraordinary video shows the creature reaching out to catch a snack thrown into its enclosure at Hangzhou Zoo, and comically failing to retain it.
The sun bear’s clearly resigned nature has only added fuel to the theory that it is actually a human in disguise. Other observers have pointed out a sagging butt, leading to theories that it is a very realistic costume.
Sun bears are known to have human-like mannerisms and are the size of large dogs, measuring at most 1.3 meters tall on their hind legs.
The Hangzhou Zoo said a person dressed as a bear reportedly collapsed in the scorching summer heat.
The video showed the strange-looking bear standing on two legs, looking for food.
Meanwhile, black bears can measure between five and seven feet tall while standing on their hind legs.
Other Chinese zoos have also been accused of trying to pass off dyed dogs as other animals such as wolves or African cats.
In 2019, two zoo workers at Yancheng Wild Animal World in Changzhou, China, were seen dressed in gorilla costumes and jumping.
Following complaints, the zoo allegedly stated that it was an April Fool’s Day prank.
In 2018, reports emerged suggesting that a Cairo zoo was trying to trick visitors by painting a donkey in black and white to make it look like a zebra.
The strange creature was discovered by student Mahmoud A. Sarhani who was visiting the recently opened animal sanctuary in the International Garden municipal park.
Several veterinarians in the country were quick to confirm that the animal was indeed a donkey.