More people are visiting the zoo in Canberra to see the sun bears after a viral video of a zoo in China raised suspicions there the animals were people in costumes. But keepers at the National Zoo and Aquarium say sun bears do have some characteristics that make them seem human.
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00:35 - Yep, so I definitely saw the video.
00:38 It is definitely a sun bear.
00:40 I can tell you that now.
00:41 The characteristics definitely do resemble a sun bear.
00:44 These guys do spend a lot of time standing up.
00:47 So they do, you know, stand on their back feet
00:50 and look like people.
00:51 And that's one of the comments we actually do get a lot
00:53 from the public is that they look like people in suits,
00:55 but they're definitely not.
00:56 They're definitely sun bears.
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01:00 So it's, I mean, you could call it waving
01:05 or you could call it, bring me my food, please.
01:08 So it's generally our Otaki standing up saying,
01:12 I'm ready for food and he'll put his arm up.
01:14 So it's generally him asking for something
01:17 rather than waving.
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01:20 Yeah, so it's actually an adaptation
01:32 that these species have formed to be able
01:35 to defend themselves.
01:36 So if something comes up to attack them from behind,
01:40 it means that they can actually spin around
01:41 in their skin 180 degrees and they can fight back.
01:44 So it's actually a really cool adaptation
01:45 that they've formed.
01:46 They've got it around their necks
01:47 and they've got it around their whole body.
01:48 It's just that excess skin.
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01:52 Definitely, so we have got a lot of hype about it,
01:57 which is actually amazing because sun bears are actually,
02:01 they're very, they're vulnerable out in the wild.
02:03 So it's an amazing opportunity for us to be able
02:06 to talk about these guys and to shed some light
02:09 on them a little bit because bringing people here
02:12 to the zoo is really important to us
02:14 because we're focused a lot on conservation.
02:16 So we really wanna be able to help sun bears
02:18 out in the wild and we support an organisation
02:21 called Free the Bears.
02:23 So Free the Bears goes and rescues bears
02:25 from bear trades and illegal poaching
02:28 and everything overseas.
02:29 And that's why, essentially why we have these guys here
02:33 to raise that really important awareness
02:35 and also funds as well that we're able to send back
02:37 to those amazing conservation organisations.
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02:42 - Unreal.
02:54 - Well, it was unreal. - Not real.
02:55 - It was unreal because I've never seen a bear
02:57 stand up like that ever.
02:58 And then all those wrinkles, but then I did Google
03:02 and we were coming to Canberra for the weekend
03:05 and I thought I'm definitely making a zero for the zoo
03:09 to see the ones down here, to see if it's true or not.
03:12 And I'm dying to see them stand up.
03:14 So that's why we're here.
03:16 We're waiting to see them stand up.
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03:23 - Oh, they're absolutely beautiful.
03:45 Everybody should come.
03:47 Everybody's got to come and see them.
03:48 They're very active because the zoo itself
03:51 is very, very view friendly.
03:55 I'll say it like that, view friendly.
03:57 Everybody can see everything.
03:58 Well, I haven't seen these stand up yet,
04:00 but the girls, the zoo ladies have actually told us
04:03 it is true.
04:04 They have the wrinkles and they can actually turn
04:07 within their skin to defend themselves.
04:09 That's what the wrinkles are about.
04:11 So yeah, I do believe you now.
04:12 (laughing)
04:14 I'd like to see him stand up,
04:16 but I don't think I'm going to get that today.
04:18 - It doesn't matter.
04:19 I'll see it on the way back.
04:20 - Yeah.
04:21 - But no, it's been definitely worth the trip down
04:23 to see them.
04:24 - Yeah.
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