Chinese Sun Bear Human Theory

Submission 2,261

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About

Chinese Sun Bear Human Theory, also known as Human Standing In Bear Suit, is a viral video and conspiracy theory of a Malayan Sun Bear standing on its hind legs (resembling a human) at a zoo in China, which sparked a viral debate on social media that the animal could be a human dressed in a costume. The video became a trending topic in late July and early August 2023, inspiring a range of memes and conspiracy theories about the bear to circulate online.

Background

On July 31st, 2023, the Twitter^[1] page @PopBase posted a picture of a bear standing on its hind legs observing the zoo's visitors, looking like a human in a costume due to its posture and movements. The tweet (shown below) explains that the bear is from Hangzhou Zoo, located in China, and the zoo denied the online rumors in a press statement “Some people think [the bear] stands like a person… It seems you don't understand [the bear] very well." The post amassed over 80,000 likes and 7,700 retweets in a day.

That same day, The New York Post's official YouTube^[5] channel uploaded a video showing the bear standing like a human. The post (shown below) amassed over 129,000 views and 267 likes in a day. A BBC^[2] article posted on July 31st details that sun bears are the smallest bear species in the world and generally the size of a large dog. The species is currently labeled as endangered and its native to the rainforests of South East Asia.

Online Reaction

Online, people posted various memes and segmented conspiracy theories to decide whether the bear is real or a human in costume. For instance, on July 31st, 2023, Twitter^[3] user @BigImpactHumans posted a picture of the 'That Person Is Not Real' Plane Woman in response to a tweet showing the bear standing like a human. The post (shown below) garnered roughly 880 likes and six retweets in a day.

On July 31st, Twitter^[4] user @BearPosting explained that the animal's pose is purportedly "what Sun Bears normally look like." The post (shown below) received over 5,200 likes and 865 retweets in a day.