Chinese zoo admits to painting dogs to look like pandas since it lacked real thing

[JACK AYLMER]

WHILE PANDA DIPLOMACY IS UNDERWAY BETWEEN THE U-S AND CHINA WITH SAN FRANCISCO AND SAN DIEGO SET TO RECEIVE PANDAS FROM CHINA THIS SUMMER.,

ANOTHER CHINESE PANDA-RELATED STORY IS CAUSING CONTROVERSY.

THEY MAY BE UNBEARABLY CUTE.

BUT THEY’RE NOT BEARS AT ALL.

THOSE ARE DOGS DYED TO LOOK LIKE PANDAS.

A ZOO IN EASTERN CHINA ADMITTED TO DOING IT BECAUSE THEY LACKED THE REAL THING.

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS SURFACED CONCERNING THE ZOO’S ODD EXHIBIT.

TWO RATHER ODD-LOOKING PANDAS, WITH MANNERISMS RESEMBLING DOGS.

WAGGING TAILS AND ALL.

BECAUSE, WELL, THEY’RE DOGS.

ZOOGOERS WERE NONE TOO PLEASED.

BUT SOME VISITORS POINTED OUT THE ZOO’S TICKETS ADVERTISED A “PANDA DOG MEET-UP.”

AND NEVER EXPLICITLY MENTIONED THE PANDAS.

SOME VISITORS ALSO SAID THE DYED HAIR COULD AMOUNT TO ANIMAL CRUELTY.

A PROFESSIONAL PET GROOMER SAYS IT’S NOT.

MAINTAINING IT IS SAFE, AS LONG AS THE DYE DOESN’T TOUCH THE SKIN AND THE PAINT CONTAINS NATURAL PLANT INGREDIENTS.

FOLKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA NOTED, “PEOPLE ALSO DYE THEIR HAIR.”

A ZOO SPOKESPERSON SAID THEY DID IT TO ATTRACT MORE VISITORS.

ORIGINALLY, THEY WERE TWO CHOW-CHOWS.

THE IDEA TO DYE THEM CAME FROM THE INTERNET. 

WHILE THIS ZOO SAYS IT DIDN’T TRY TO DECEIVE VISITORS–

OTHER ZOOS HAVE.

ONE IN CENTRAL CHINA TRIED TO PASS A TIBETAN MASTIFF OFF AS A LION.

VISITORS WERE SHOCKED WHEN THEY HEARD IT BARK INSTEAD OF ROAR.

GIVING DOGS PANDA- MAKEOVERS IS NOT A NEW PHENOMENA. 

AROUND TEN YEARS AGO, PUPPIES DRESSED UP AS PANDAS BECAME SUCH A POPULAR ITEM IN CHINESE PET STORES COULDN’T KEEP UP WITH DEMAND.

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