Users on reddit.com, where the video has topped the video chart, have questioned whether the bear’s impressive tricks are actually CGI, or a man in a very convincing bear suit.
Russian Pavel claims to have taught Tima ‘about 200 commands.’
Brown bears are an iconic symbol of Russia. However, they have also long been used as props in shows and circuses, with animal rights groups calling for an end to widespread cruelty and exploitation.