Visitors Furious After Zoo Admits It Painted Dogs to Appear as Other Animal
In a surprising and somewhat amusing revelation, a zoo in Shanwei, Guangdong Province, China, has come under fire for allegedly deceiving its visitors by presenting painted dogs as pandas. Visitors became suspicious when they heard barking and panting sounds reminiscent of dogs instead of the usual panda noises. Upon investigation, it was confirmed that the “pandas” on display were actually Chow Chows painted to look like giant pandas. The zoo attempted to clarify that they had advertised “panda dogs,” not actual pandas, but visitors were dissatisfied and demanded refunds. This incident is not isolated; earlier this year, another zoo in Jiangsu Province faced similar criticism when it was discovered that their supposed pandas were also painted dogs. This trend of misrepresentation in zoos has sparked outrage, prompting broader discussions about ethical practices in animal exhibitions.
What sound does a panda make?
While many people honestly have no idea what noises the iconic Asian bear makes, most realize that the beasts certainly don’t pant and bark like a dog.
Now, a zoo in China is being forced to admit the truth about their “panda” exhibit when one of the creatures inside began to sound more like a dog than the Chinese national animal.
Visitors to a zoo in Shanwei, Guangdong Province were met with quite a sight when they arrived where the giant pandas were supposed to be.
A video of that viral encounter was captured by a video from local Chinese media, seen below:
The animals inside the enclosure were clearly not pandas.
According to the U.K. Daily Mail, citing Chinese sources, visitors’ suspicions about the “panda” exhibit were confirmed when the animals began barking and panting, behavior giant pandas are not typically known to exhibit.
The zoo subsequently admitted the animals are dogs, specifically Chow Chows, dressed up with black paint to look like pandas.
Denying accusations it tricked visitors, the zoo said it only promised people “panda dogs,” not giant pandas.
Visitors are now demanding their money back from the zoo over the alleged deceit.
Unfortunately for animal lovers in the People’s Republic of China, this is not the first case of panda deceit by way of painted dog.
In May of this year, the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province pulled a similar move with another pair of Chow Chows.
Visitors were similarly shocked to find the pandas they were hoping to see turned out to be canines instead.
Like the animals that would be seen at the Shanwei zoo months later, these dogs were detailed with black paint to mimic the appearance of giant pandas.
Videos and pictures of these animals, and the audacity of the zoo to pull such a stunt, quickly went viral on Chinese social media. The images made their way across the Pacific, where the story was rekindled in the United States.
A clip below shows the Taizhou zoo’s own “panda dogs.”
A zoo in China painted dogs because they didn’t have real Pandas😂 pic.twitter.com/BUyw7M4z9q
— Gareth (@garethrichmond5) May 6, 2024
“There are no panda bears at the zoo,” a Taizhou zoo representative then said, “and we wanted to do this as a result.”
The representative also dismissed concerns about the potential cruelty of painting these dogs and putting them on display as another animal entirely, saying “people also dye their hair.”
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