"Shocking: Chinese Zoo Under Fire for Dyeing Dogs Like Pandas!"

Chinese Zoo Criticized for Dyeing Dogs to Look Like Pandas

Two “panda dogs” in a new exhibit are actually Chow Chows dyed black and white, zoo officials reported through state media. HONG KONG — A zoo in China has been accused of trying to trick visitors with two dogs dyed to look like panda bears.

Videos on Chinese social media show the two “panda dogs” in an exhibit at Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu province that opened on May 1. Although the animals are made to look like pandas, their wagging tails give them away.

Zoo officials told Chinese state media that they were Chow Chows — a fluffy dog breed from northern China — painted black and white to look like giant pandas. They said they had clearly advertised them as “panda dogs” and did not make any false claims.

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The dogs are still at the zoo, officials told NBC News on Friday, where the number of visitors remained “at a normal level.”

The zoo, which does not have real pandas, was criticized by state media and others for misleading visitors and mistreating the dogs. “It is not funny at all to dye Chow Chow dogs to attract tourists,” one commenter wrote on the social media platform Weibo. “Their delicate skin and thick coats make them prone to skin diseases.”

Zoo officials defended the exhibit, saying the dogs were not harmed. “Normal people dye their hair,” a spokesperson told Qilu Evening News. “Dogs can dye their hair too. It’s the same as hair.”

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This is not the first time “panda dogs” have sparked social media discussion in China.

In 2019, a dog cafe in Sichuan province raised animal rights concerns with its six Chow Chows dyed to look like pandas.

In 2020, in the same province, a “panda” being walked by a woman in a viral video was revealed to be a dyed Chow Chow.

Other zoos in China have also been accused of having fake animals, often dogs presented as wolves or African cats.

Last July, a zoo in Zhejiang province denied that its Malayan sun bears were humans in disguise after a video of one standing like a person went viral. Experts debunked the claim, saying there was no way a person in a fur suit could withstand such high summer temperatures.