Video: A Bear Acting “Just Like a Human” Leaves Everyone Utterly Confused

In the era of social media, news about weird occurrences can travel faster than ever. And if a post goes viral, there will certainly be people discussing it and coming up with theories. This happened to one bear in China, whose unusual behavior fueled confusion among netizens.

A viral video of a bear acting like a human prompted debates among netizens.

The images were captured at a zoo in Hangzhou, China, and quickly went viral on social media. In the video, a small and slender black bear called Angela can be seen standing on her hind legs. She’s also looking at visitors, with her front paws hanging in front of her body, seemingly mimicking the gestures of a human. Seconds later she falls back on all-fours looking for food someone has thrown her, then stands up again.

Quickly, people started coming up with theories. And according to the most popular one, Angela the sun bear might actually not be a bear, but a human in disguise. “Is it a summer intern?” someone jokingly wrote.

The zoo quickly cleared up the confusion, but not everyone was convinced.

Soon after the video went viral, managers of the zoo came with clarifications trying to clear up the confusion. They explained that even if someone were to put on a bear costume, they wouldn’t last long in the summer heat. But even so, some people still can’t believe Angela’s behavior is normal for a bear. And this has prompted more visitors than usual going to Hangzhou zoo to see the animal in person.

Experts also explained why the behaviour of sun bears might mimick humans.

According to several experts though, Angela the sun bear’s behavior is completely normal for her species. One of them, Wong Siew Te explained this, saying, “Most bear species can stand on their hind legs but sun bears stand up high to reach higher ground to investigate their surroundings, so there is a purpose to why they do that.” He also said that the loose, saggy skin of sun bears helps protect them from injuries.

If you want to learn more about how amazing bears can be, here’s this article about lasting friendships in the animal kingdom.