Angela the Malayan sun bear has repeatedly been accused of being a human in costume — but she bearly seems to notice.
In fresh footage obtained by Newsflare, the notorious bear at the Hangzhou Zoo in China continues to interact with visitors by standing on her two feet, which several onlookers assume is impawsible for bears.
At one point in the video, 4-year-old Angela is seen waving to people at the zoo and manages to catch food thrown her way with her mouth. She goes back and forth between standing on her legs and crawling around her enclosure on all fours.
In another segment of the footage, zookeepers prepare delicious snacks for Angela and her fellow bruins, who enjoy a feast of watermelon, carrots and cucumbers.
Many people come to watch the Malayan sun bears, who can stand upright, at the Hangzhou Zoo in China’s Zhejiang Province. SplashNews.com
A sun bear enjoys a cucumber. Newsflare
Recent photos of Angela enjoying a meal fit for a sun bear also circulated the web earlier this month after a video of her standing at the zoo went viral last month.
Angela’s human-like characteristics left some thinking she was not a bear, but a human in a convincing costume.
The zoo has repeatedly denied claims Angela is not real.
“All bear species including black bears and brown bears are able to stand on their feet,” Jiang Zhi, the vice head of Hangzhou Zoo, told Xinhua News Agency.
“Captive bears are less likely to be stressed. When encountering visitors, they enjoy interacting with visitors, especially the lively sun bears.”
Sun bears get their name because of the golden or white patches on their chests that resemble the rising sun. Newsflare
Angela walks on her two legs, which some said made her look human. Newsflare
The zoo had to release a statement to clarify that Angela was not a human. CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/ShutterstockAfter the initial video of Angela standing and waving to visitors went viral, the zoo released a statement they jokingly claimed was from Angela herself.
“Some people think I stand like a person. It seems you don’t understand me very well,” the statement said.
The sun bear is the smallest member of the bear family, according to National Geographic.
Even though the breed has a reputation for having humanlike qualities, it’s nicknamed the “dog bear” due to its muscular build, small ears and short muzzle.
Sun bears can live up to 25 years. Newsflare
Angela stands on her hind legs to interact with visitors at the Hangzhou Zoo. AP
The bears at the zoo enjoyed a feast of watermelon, carrots and cucumbers. ZUMAPRESS.comLiving in the dense lowland forests in Southeast Asia, these bears live up to 25 years and weigh anywhere between 60 to 150 pounds, and are 4 to 5 feet long — or tall.
They earned their “sun” nickname thanks to the golden or white patch on their chest, which resembles a rising sun.
