A zoo in eastern China denied allegations that a sun bear is a man in a costume.

Video filmed in the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province on July 27 shows an alleged black-coloured interacting with visitors, standing upright on its hind legs, mimicking human gestures.

Since some eyewitnesses swore that the animal's movement and posture were too human-like, debate and speculation were ignited across social media platforms.

Hangzhou Zoo has finally broken its silence. Amid a bubbling controversy, a zoo worker confirmed that it's certainly not a human masquerading as a bear, humorously noting that with temperatures soaring to a sweltering 40°C, no person could bear to wear a fur suit.

It was clarified that the black-coloured bear is a sun bear, the smallest of all bear species.

"Bears have the ability to stand, especially in the wild where they often stand up to fight," the zoo worker explained. "However, sun bears are rather gentle and will sometimes stand to interact with visitors."

The video was provided by local media with permission.

7月27日，浙江杭州动物园内，一只“黑熊”站着和游客互动，因为动作姿态和人很想，有游客怀疑是人扮的。
7月29日，杭州动物园一名工作人员称，肯定不是人扮的，40°C高温人套个皮毛也受不了。说它是“黑熊”有误，其实它是马来熊，是世界上最小体型的一种熊，属于小型熊类动物。熊科动物都有站立的能力，尤其是野外的熊，打斗的时候都会站起来。而马来熊性情比较温和，站起来是跟在游客互动。