Chinese Zoo Faces Outrage After 'Pandas' Turn Out to Be Painted Dogs

Visitors at the Shanwei Zoo in China were shocked when they realized the 'pandas' they were looking at were actually dogs painted to look like the famous black-and-white bears. The surprise came when one of the 'pandas' started panting and barking, causing confusion and disbelief among the crowd.

(Photo Credit: X/syncronus)Chinese Zoo Faces Outrage After 'Pandas' Turn Out to Be Painted Dogs

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Reports say the zoo's plan to pass off dogs as pandas quickly backfired after a video of the animals went viral. The video showed one of the dogs lying on a rock, clearly exhausted and panting. Another 'panda' with a curly tail, much like a dog, was seen walking around. It didn’t take long for people to figure out these were Chow Chows, a dog breed from Northern China, painted to resemble pandas.

Glitch in the Matrix: China zoo forced to admit the truth after one of their “pandas” started panting and barking. The Shanwei zoo admits they painted dogs white and black to make them look like pandas. pic.twitter.com/5SWDlpOSqB

— SynCronus (@syncronus) September 19, 2024

At first, zoo officials tried to claim that the animals were a type of ‘panda dog,’ but visitors didn’t believe them. As more people expressed their anger and demanded answers, the zoo finally admitted they had painted the Chow Chows to look like pandas in order to attract visitors. This upset many people, who accused the zoo of false advertising and asked for refunds.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Earlier in May, a zoo in Jiangsu Province faced similar criticism for showing painted Chow Chows as pandas. In that case, the zoo also claimed the animals were labeled as ‘panda dogs,’ but people were still upset.

The public reaction has been mostly negative, with many worrying about the dogs' well-being. Even though the zoo said the dogs weren’t harmed and compared dyeing their fur to how people color their hair, the explanation didn’t calm the outrage. Many are now calling for stricter rules to prevent this kind of deception in the future.