Angela is not human
The Hangzhou Zoo in eastern China is denying that their sun bears are really humans dressed in costumes. A video of a bear standing on its hind legs and waving went viral on Chinese social media in late July. The bear is named Angela. Despite the zoo’s denial that the bears are humans, tourists have been “flocking” to the zoo to decide for themselves, reported Reuters. A video of Angela, a sun bear at the Hangzhou Zoo said she resembles a human. “After seeing this bear standing up on the internet, I wanted to see how it looks in real life, so I came here,” said a man with the surname You, who explained he had only half-believed the video he saw online, as Chao News also reported. Visitors have increased by about 30% since the video was posted. Chinese media will be given access to the bears to confirm that they are actually bears, the Associated Press reported.
“Because of the way they stand, some people online question whether they are ‘humans in disguise.’” The Hangzhou Zoo further noted that the extreme temperatures would make it physically impossible for a human to wear a bear suit for a long period of time. “Our zoo is government-run, so that kind of situation would not happen,” said a staffer at the Hangzhou Zoo said. In the summer, given the very hot temperatures, “if you put on a fur suit, you certainly couldn’t last more than a few minutes without lying down,” said the zoo. In the Zoo’s WeChat social media account disclaimer video they had the female “voice” of Angela say: “Some people think I stand like a person. It seems you don’t understand me very well.” Visitors have been flocking to the zoo to see the famous upright-standing sun bear for themselves since then.
The sun bear is the world’s smallest bear species. It is about half the size of the American black bear. They are about 3½ to 4½ feet tall and weigh up to 145 pounds. They are native to Southeast Asia and are currently listed as a “threatened” species. While Angela’s loose skin was cited by some as a reason they believed the bear was a person in an ill-fitting costume, sun bears actually have loose skin. The loose skin is a way the bear can protect itself from predators. Along with its claws and teeth, “if a predator were to latch on during a struggle, the sun bear can turn in its loose skin and bite its attacker.” Chinese zoos have made headlines in the past for passing one animal off as another. This included a dog that was dyed to resemble a wolf, a Tibetan mastiff that was said to be a lion and a donkey that was painted with stripes to look like a zebra.
Bearly Funny
I walked into the psychiatrist office the other day with a penguin and a big white bear.
Got diagnosed as being bipolar.
What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A gummy bear
Why is there only one Yogi Bear?
Because when they tried to create a second one, they made a Boo-Boo.
Why did the bear with alopecia go to his Veterinarian?
To get a re-furral.
August 3rd Birthdays
1941 – Martha Stewart, 1979 – Evangline Lilly, 1981 – Hanna Simone, 1999 – Julia Thomason
1926 – Tony Bennett, 1963 – Isaiah Washington, 1977 – Tom Brady, 1940 – Martin Sheen