A bear at a Chinese zoo is going viral, with many questioning whether or not the animal is a person in a costume. Videos on social media show the bear standing upright, interacting with zoo visitors and even waving.
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Reports from the zoo suggest the bear, which is the species known as a sun bear, is a real-life animal. However, many visitors and those who watch the video say they’re not so sure.
Either way, the zoo says the viral sensation is working great for them. In fact, they’ve seen a 30% increase in visitation.
“After we saw the video on the internet, we took the high-speed train from Suzhou to come over to see the bear,” says a zoo visitor quoted by the Guardian Newspaper. “We traveled overnight last night to get here. The bears are so cute.“
According to the San Diego Zoo, sun bears are the smallest known species of bears and can grow four and a half feet tall.
Unsurprisingly other zoos around the world are jumping on the trend and assuring visitors that their sun bear is for sure a real bear.
Do you think the bear is real or a person in costume?