In a surprising turn of event, a zoo in southern China’s Guangdong province has admitted that two of its star panda attractions were actually fluffy Chow Chow dogs painted to resemble the beloved national animal.
The news surfaced online after a visitor’s video showing the painted dogs went viral on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, amassing over 1.4 million views and 725,000 likes.
The zoo had openly described the dogs as “painted dogs,” with signage explaining, “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!” Zoo manager Huang confirmed that the painted dogs were one of the facility’s top attractions.
This is not the first time Chinese establishments have come under fire for using animals disguised as pandas. In May, a zoo in eastern Jiangsu province was criticized for painting two dogs to resemble pandas, leading to public outrage and an eventual confession from the zoo. Similarly, a café in Chengdu offered dyeing services for pets to resemble pandas, while pet shops in Guangdong were caught selling dogs dyed to look like miniature tigers in 2016.