By Tom Russell
Bear denies being a human dressed in costume
Bears at a Chinese zoo in Hangzhou have been forced to deny being humans dressed in bear costumes after online footage sparked speculation.
The animals insist they are real after video of one standing on its hind legs triggered online speculation.
Zoo employees said visits were being arranged for reporters to see and interview the bears. On camera, one insisted, “Yes, I am in fact, a bear, and definitely not a human in a bear costume.”
Zoo officials were furious about the controversy. “Of course they’re bears,” exclaimed one of the pandas. “People on the internet these days just say some crazy things. There is absolutely no merit to these accusations.”
Other Chinese zoos have previously been accused of trying to pass off dogs dyed to look like wolves or African cats, and donkeys painted to look like zebras.
“Look around you – this is a zoo. Everything here is a real animal, and is the animal it is supposed to be” said a giraffe, before walking off upright on two legs.
