People visiting the Shanwei Zoo in China were outraged after finding out that two “pandas” were actually dogs painted black and white.
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A viral video circulating the internet shows one of the painted dogs walking around the enclosure. Another dog can be seen in the video panting. The video has generated more than a million shares. It’s almost immediately clear that the animals are not pandas, especially when the dogs’ curled tails make an appearance.
NEW: China zoo forced to admit the truth after one of their “pandas” started panting and barking.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 19, 2024
The Shanwei zoo admits they painted dogs white and black to make them look like pandas.
The zoo initially tried claiming that the dogs were a unique breed of pandas called… pic.twitter.com/MMoQLD7zuR
Dogs Painted to Look Like Pandas at Zoo Spark Outrage Online
According to TMZ, the zoo first claimed that the accusations were false. They stated that the dogs were actually a special breed of a panda called “panda dogs”. Visitors of the zoo remained unhappy and would not accept this claim.
The zoo soon admitted that the “pandas” were really just two painted Chows Chows. Chow Chows are a medium-sized, fluffy breed of dog. With little surprise, zoogoers demanded a refund.
While this may seem like a rare occurrence, this is apparently not the first time that Chow Chows have been made to look like panda bears in China. According to an article posted by CNN, a zoo in Jiangsu province did the same thing back in May.
Visitors of the zoo similarly noticed the fake pandas and complained, causing the owners to admit that they were in fact dogs.