A Chinese zoo allegedly admitted to painting donkeys black and white to pass off as zebras in an attempt to drive up park attendance.
The Zibo City amusement park in Shandong province came under fire when internet users noticed the donkeys were disguised as zebras in early February, according to China’s state-run Global Times.
In one photo, a zoo worker was seen standing next to a donkey which was defaced with nearly perfect black and white stripes running across its body.
After a heated debate about the animals, park representatives told the outlet that the paint job was a marketing strategy.
“The owner did it just for fun,” a staff member told the outlet.
Online users blasted the zoo for its “misleading and unethical” treatment of the animals for the sake of bringing in park visitors,” according to Metro.
“It’s unfair to the animals and the visitors,” a critic said on Chinese social media app Douyin, the outlet reported.
Some assumed that employees used duck tape on the farm animals while others suspected it was dye.
The zoo confirmed that dye was used on the creatures but insisted it was not toxic.
Social media users had even more criticisms.
“They did a pretty bad job too,” one person wrote on Facebook.
“Them stripes look a mess… looks like a piñata,” another joked.
AP
Zibo City amusement park wasn’t the first place to try the switcheroo.
The park allegedly took the idea from another Chinese zoo that painted dogs and pretended they were pandas.
Parkgoers at the Shanwei Zoo noticed the scam when one of the apparent pandas started panting and barking, according to local media
The zoo initially denied accusations about having fake pandas but eventually came clean.
In 2018, a zoo in Cairo, Egypt was accused of painting zebra stripes on donkeys after social media pointed out the animal’s face and ears didn’t appear to be the right size.
The zoo’s director Mohamed Sultan also initially denied the claims and insisted that the animals were treated very well.
But animal rights activists disagreed.
PETA released a statement claiming that roadside zoos like the one in Egypt prioritize ticket sales over animal welfare.
“No reputable animal-care facility would subject skittish animals like donkeys to the stress of being restrained and sprayed with chemicals like paint, which could cause a painful allergic reaction,” PETA wrote in a statement.
PETA went on to add that a zoo in Gaza reportedly did the same thing in 2009 because officials couldn’t acquire actual zebras because of an Israeli blockade.
