Hangzhou Zoo (Chinese: 杭州动物园; pinyin: Hángzhōu Dòngwùyuán) is a zoo located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China.
| Hangzhou Zoo | |
|---|---|
 Hangzhou Zoo entrance | |
 | |
| 30°12′49″N 120°08′01″E / 30.2137°N 120.1337°E | |
| Date opened | 1958 |
| Location | 40 Hupao Rd, Xihu Qu, Hangzhou Shi, Zhejiang Sheng, China |
| Land area | 260 mu |
| No. of animals | 1,000+ |
| No. of species | 120 kinds of rare wild animals |
| Website | www |
History
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Hangzhou Zoo was officially opened in 1958. In June 2020, the zoo went though organisational reforms and started co-operating with Hangzhou Children's Park. Today the two parks covers a total area of 440 acres and has 120 kinds of rare wild animals, and receives an annual attendance averaging at more than 2.3 million tourists.[1]
Viral Sun bear video
editIn 2023, the zoo gained international interest after an online video posted on Douyin platform, had gone viral of 'Angela', one of its female Malaysian sun bears, that was seen standing up straight and waving its paw at the crowd. A number of internet users speculated that the bear was acting too much like a human and pointed out that the bear appeared to have saggy skin folds on its behind, which led to conspiracy theories that the female bear was actually a person inside a fake bear suit.[2][3][4]
Hangzhou Zoo however denied this and stated that people "don't understand" the species. Additionally, multiple animal experts from western zoos, including Zoo Miami's animal expert Ron Magill and Canberra's National Zoo and Aquarium wildlife supervisor Sophie Dentrinos, later dismissed the conspiracy theories, and told reporters that they can tell that the bear in Hangzhou zoo was authentic, explaining that this bear species naturally has a lot of loose saggy skin as a natural adaptation against predators, and it wasn't odd for sun bears to be able to stand up straight on their hind legs.[5][6][7][8]
After widespread reporting by major media outlets on the controversial video, Hangzhou Zoo soon experienced an increase in attendance numbers by 30% to about 20,000 a day, with some visitors reportedly travelling overnight to see its much-publicized sun bears.[9]
References
edit- ^ "动物园介绍_杭州动物园,杭州少年儿童公园". www.hzzoo.com. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ Hawkins, Amy (2023-07-31). "Chinese zoo denies its sun bears are humans dressed in costumes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ "Hangzhou Zoo: Our sun bears are real, not humans in disguise". BBC News. 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ "Video of bear at a Chinese zoo has people asking: Is that a bear or human in costume?". TODAY.com. 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ Hush • •, Chris (2023-08-02). "'It's real': Zoo expert weighs in on viral video showing bear standing on hind legs in China". NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ "Zookeeper's verdict on 'fake' bear frenzy". www.9news.com.au. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ "Animal expert weighs in on wild Chinese zoo sun bear claims". 7NEWS. 2023-08-04. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ "Sun bears are real, not humans in disguise says Hangzhou Zoo". BBC News. 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ Pollard, Martin Quin (2023-08-02). "Tourists flock to Chinese zoo to see 'human-like' bear". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
External links
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- Hangzhou Zoo website (Chinese)
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