KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — The Hangzhou Zoo in China has denied that one of its exhibits, the sun bear, is a costume-wearing human.

The zoo was forced to make the denial following a viral clip on social media where users raised questions after seeing it standing up and interacting with visitors.

Eagle-eyed social media users also zoomed in on the folds of skin around the animal's lower back and rear, commenting that it looked like a loose-fitting costume.

A worker at the zoo told Hangzhou Daily that no human would be able to withstand the current summer heat if they were in a costume.

The worker also corrected claims by social media users that it was a black bear as it was actually a Malayan sun bear, the smallest bear in the world.

The Malayan sun bear has the ability to stand up especially in the wild.

It also has a gentler temperament thus the interaction with zoo visitors.

Zoo deputy director Jiang Zhi said the confusion by social media users was due to the fact that the sun bears in question were new additions.

He said the sun bears, a male named 'Da Lu' and a female named 'Angela', joined the zoo in 2020, Mothership reported.

This is not the first time zoos in China have come under scrutiny for its animal exhibits.

In 2021, a zoo in Xichang replaced an African lion exhibit with a golden retriever after the lion was moved to a separate cage.