With no pandas to put on display for the visitors, a zoo in China dyed two chow chow dogs black and white to pass them off as small pandas.
While the zoo saw no harm in the decision and later defended it too, several visitors were reportedly shocked and outraged for being deceived after they saw two fluffy dogs painted black and white in the panda enclosure with a sign that read "panda dogs".
According to local reports, the incident happened in Taizhou Zoo in China's Jiangsu Province that opened on May 1 for visitors to see the new animals.
As per The Strait Times, a board was put up in front of the enclosure with a disclaimer that said the panda dogs are not an actual dog breed. It also said that they're pet dogs groomed to look like pandas or were born with fur patterns like those of pandas.
A video of the two dogs has gone viral on social media. In the video, the two dogs, painted like pandas with the signature splash of black around eyes, can be seen taking a stroll in the enclosure and playing with each other. While their resemblance with small pandas is uncanny, their tails and mannerisms are a quick giveaway that they are in fact not the fluffy bears exclusively found in China.
Defending their decision, the zoo reportedly said that they did so because they didn't have a real panda to put on display for the visitors. "There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result," a zoo spokesperson reportedly said. "People also dye their hair. Natural dye can be used on dogs if they have long fur," the zoo spokesperson added.
