Bear 'secretly a human in disguise' shown waving in fresh footage as experts provide verdict on whether it's real

2 August 2023, 08:07 | Updated: 2 August 2023, 08:14

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

A Chinese 'bear' at the centre of claims it is a human in disguise has been shown waving in fresh footage, as experts insist it is real.

Footage of the 'bear' went viral on Chinese social media, with a number of observers pointing out its unusual posture and body language

The video had people convinced Hangzhou Zoo has got one of its employees to dress up as a bear.

A new video has now emerged showing the bear standing and waving, as thousands flock to the zoo to see the beast for themselves.

An expert has now waded into the debate, with Ashleigh Marshall from Chester Zoo insisting it "is definitely a real bear".

After visiting the zoo to see the sun bear for himself, one person commented on Chinese social media site Weibo: "If this is fake it deserves an Oscar for special effects."

"We travelled overnight last night to get here. The bears are so cute," another said.

Another man, Mr You, told a local news site: "After seeing this bear standing up on the internet, I wanted to see how it looks in real life, so I came here."

Read More: Tens of thousands of people turn up at zoo in China to see 'man bear'

Read More: 'This is undoubtedly a human being': Chinese zoo furiously denies bear is secretly a human in costume

On Monday, the zoo was forced to deny their sun bears are human beings in costume."Our zoo is government-run, so that kind of situation would not happen," a spokesman said.

"In the summer, temperatures can rise to nearly 40C. If a person did wear a bear costume, they would be lying down within minutes due to the heat."

In a separate video, imitating the bear's voice, the spokesperson said: "Some people think I stand like a person. It seems you don’t understand me very well."

According to the zoo's deputy director, Jiang Zhi, the bear has a slimmer physique than other black or brown bears.