This is the moment two bears at a zoo in China appear to wave and beckon visitors to give them food.
The incident took place at the Guizhou Forest Wildlife Park, which is located in the city of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province in south-western China, on Saturday, 12th February.
The footage, which was shared online by a woman named as Ms Li, shows the two bears apparently beckoning the zoo visitors to throw them some food, which they dutifully do.
Ms Li reportedly said that the bears were in an area where visitors can buy carrots and other snacks, so she bought a bag of food for the animals and said that as soon as she took the food out of the bag, the animals stood on their hind legs and appeared to wave at her, as if to beckon her to throw the food over to them.
The bears can be seen catching the food in the footage.
The zoo says on its website that the bears have a very well developed sense of smell, which is seven times more powerful than that of hunting dogs.
Staff from the zoo were quoted in local media reports as saying that the bears are known to perform a certain number of gestures such as beckoning, although they did not specify if the bears had been trained to do so or not.
Netizens found the footage amusing after it was shared on Douyin, which is what TikTok is called in China.
But PETA Director Elisa Allen told AsiaWire: “While this video may appear ‘cute’ to the undiscerning eye, in reality, this is the behaviour of an animal deprived of mental stimulation, confined to a concrete prison, and unable to forage for food or engage in normal bear activities.
“These bears are denied everything that’s natural and important to them, including the freedom to roam vast forests, dig, and enjoy their lives. PETA condemns the ‘funny’ animal videos that circulate without context on social media and encourages everyone to consider the desperation prompting what they see in a clip before sharing it – as well as reminding the public never to visit zoos or other places that exploit animals for entertainment.”
