Zoogoers in China became upset after discovering that an advertised Panda exhibit actually just contained dogs that were painted white and black.
It happened at the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province on May 1, when people went to see what was advertised as a new exhibit of pandas and instead saw painted Chow Chow dogs, the New York Post reported. Photos and videos of the fake pandas have since gone viral.
Zoo officials reportedly dyed the faces of the dogs black and trimmed their hair to make them look like the popular bamboo-eating bears. They then put the fake pandas in the exhibit every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., drawing in people to come and see these little “bears,” per the sanctuary’s staffers.
When zoo officials were asked why they had tricked people into thinking the dogs were pandas, one zoo rep replied, “There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result.”
Fake pandas pic.twitter.com/1VM5FG1fWk
— Meredith Gay 🛋️✨ (@MerGarza) May 7, 2024
Zoogoers, who thought they were going to see pandas but instead saw painted dogs, then accused the zoo officials of animal cruelty for what they had done to the pups.
One spokesperson hit back at the criticism and said, “People also dye their hair. Natural dye can be used on dogs if they have long fur.”
Social media users seemed less upset about the pup cosplay after seeing the pictures, suggesting the dogs looked cute.
“They are very small to run that fast! I think they’re lovely,” one person wrote.
Another added, “I think they’re cute,” said another.
While a third wrote, “Well that’s an extreme way to get your dogs cared for while you’re at work lol.”
Another person took a page out of the left’s playbook on gender ideology and joked, “Did anyone ask if the dogs were identifying as pandas? Dogs have rights as well.”
Last year, a zoo in the eastern province of Zhejiang went viral after images surfaced of a sun bear standing on its hind legs for a very long time, looking similar to a human in a costume wearing baggy pants, NBC News reported.
“Some people think I stand like a human, and it seems that you don’t understand me that much,” Hangzhou Zoo wrote on its official social media account from the perspective of the bear in the video, named Angela.
“Previously, some tourists thought that I was too tiny to be a bear,” the message added. “I have to emphasize again: I am a Malayan sun bear! Not a black bear! Not a dog! A sun bear!”
Related: WATCH: China Zoo Hits Back After People Claim Bear Is Actually A Person In A Costume
