Chinese zoo under fire after dyeing dogs to resemble pandas

HONG KONG — A zoo in China has been accused of making an attempt to deceive guests with a pair of canines dyed black and white to appear to be panda bears.

Movies circulating on Chinese language social media present the 2 “panda canines” in an exhibit at Taizhou Zoo within the jap province of Jiangsu that opened on Might 1. Although the animals are patterned to appear to be pandas, that are endemic to China and a world image of the nation, their wagging tails give them away.

Zoo officers advised Chinese language state media that they had been Chow Chows — a fluffy canine breed initially from northern China — painted black and white to resemble large pandas, including that that they had clearly marketed them as “panda canines” and didn’t make any false claims.

The canines are nonetheless on the zoo, officers advised NBC Information by telephone on Friday, the place the variety of individuals coming to see them remained “at a traditional stage.”

The zoo, which doesn’t have actual pandas, was nonetheless criticized by state media and others for deceptive guests and mistreating the canines.

“It isn’t humorous in any respect to dye Chow Chow canines to draw vacationers,” one commenter wrote on the social media platform Weibo. “Their fragile pores and skin and naturally thick coats make them inclined to pores and skin ailments.”

Zoo officers defended the exhibit, saying the canines had not been harmed.

“Regular individuals dye their hair,” a spokesperson advised Qilu Night Information. “Canines can dye their hair, too. It’s the identical as hair.”

This isn’t the primary time that “panda canines” have set off social media dialogue in China.

In 2019, a canine cafe within the southwestern province of Sichuan raised animal rights issues with its six Chow Chows that had been additionally dyed to appear to be the bears.

In 2020, in the identical province, a “panda” being walked by a girl in a video that went viral was revealed to be a dyed Chow Chow.

Different zoos in China have additionally been accused of getting faux animals, typically canines they tried to current as wolves or African cats.

Final July, a zoo within the jap province of Zhejiang denied that its Malayan solar bears had been human beings in disguise after a video of 1 standing like an individual went viral. Specialists debunked the declare and the zoo stated there was no approach an individual in a fur go well with would be capable to stand up to such excessive summer time temperatures.