A zoo has been criticized by visitors after they realized the pandas were actually painted dogs.
An unnamed zoo in Guangyuan, China thought they could get away with fooling visitors by displaying odd-looking “pandas” in the enclosure.
Videos taken by duped guests were shared on several social media platforms and showed the furry animals with black ears, limbs, and dark circles around their eyes. Although they looked ridiculously cute, their canine features were still very much apparent.
Many people have shared their stunned reactions online. “Bro this can’t be real. But if it is, it’s the funniest thing I’ve read in a LOOOOONG time,” one user quipped.
“The people were bamboozled. The zoo really does the bear minimum,” another joked. “This should cause pandemonium,” a third said.
Check out the “panda” dogs below:
According to The Sun, the jig was up when suspicious visitors noticed that the “pandas” were panting and barking, rather than huffing, snorting, chomping, and moaning like the iconic bamboo-eating bears do.
When the zoo was questioned by local media, they claimed that the animals were a breed of panda dogs, but then they eventually admitted that the imposters were two Chow Chows, a type of spitz dog from northern China, that were dyed in black and white.
Not only are the dogs a unique breed, but they are the “all-purpose dog of ancient China,” per the American Kennel Club. While they aren’t naturally born with panda markings, they are known to have “rough or smooth coats of red, black, blue, cinnamon, or cream,” the AKC added.
After the barking mad ordeal came to light, visitors demanded that the Chinese zoo reimburse their money.
This isn’t the first time a zoo in China has sparked uproar over a similar hoax.
Back in May, the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province devised a creative solution to its lack of giant pandas. Officials decided to trim Chow Chow pups’ manes and dye their faces black and white to look like pandas, per PEOPLE.
According to the outlet, the reason why the facility attempted to trick guests with its fraudulent pandas was because they were denied the opportunity to showcase the giant animals.
A spokesperson revealed that even though news of the panda dogs’ true identity has spread on social media, the dyed Chow Chows were still popular among visitors.