Kung Fu Bear is an
Internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
involving an
Asian black bear
The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It lives in the Himalayas, sout ...
who skillfully twirls, throws and catches a long staff.
Claude the bear is a resident of
Asa Zoo in Hiroshima, Japan. When he first arrived at the zoo in 2002, zookeepers supplied him with long sticks to play with. Claude has become adept at manipulating them in a style reminiscent of a
Kung Fu performance.
When videos of Claude's behavior were first published on the Internet in 2007, many viewers suspected they were a product of camera tricks or other fraud. Reporters for CNN, CBS and the Telegraph have confirmed that Claude's skills are genuine. As of June 2010, the videos have been viewed over two million times on YouTube, CNN.com, and other websites. (Some versions of the video were eventually taken down from YouTube, due to copyright-infringing use of
Carl Douglas' song "Kung Fu Fighting"; its popularity is greater than its currently displayed viewer counts indicate.)
References
{{Reflist
Internet memes
Viral videos
Internet humor