A zoo in China has admitted that the ‘pandas’ in their exhibit are actually just painted dogs and honestly, I would die for the panda dogs.
Shanwei Zoo in China’s Guangdong province prompted a ‘panda‘ exhibit, but visitors were confused when the so-called “pandas” started barking and panting like dogs.
The animals quickly went viral on the social media platform Douyin — China’s version of TikTok — amassing more than 1.4 million views and 725,000 likes.
The zoo initially tried to claim that the animals were a rare and unique breed of “panda dogs”, but eventually admitted that they were simply a pack of Chow Chow dogs that had been dyed to look the part.
“We are called Panda Dogs, a pet dog that looks like a panda, dyed and dressed up by Chow Chow. We are gentle, smart, friendly, cute and adorable!” the sign says.
It is honestly giving the same energy as that scene from The Simpsons where Homer dresses up as a panda.
After the zoo admitted to the lie, visitors have reportedly demanded their money back — citing false advertising.
Interestingly, this isn’t even the first time a Chinese zoo has substituted pandas for Chow Chows — despite the fact that it is not a particularly convincing charade.
In May, Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu was called out after zookeepers dyed a bunch of the dogs because “there are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result”.
I’m not a panda expert, although I have been to Adelaide Zoo to see Wang Wang and Funi — the loveable pair of pandas we have here in Australia — but I am struggling to understand how anyone in their right mind could confuse a dog for a panda.
Regardless, I love the panda dogs and would pay full price to see them.
Lead image: Douyin
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