Imagine visiting a zoo and discovering that what you thought were adorable pandas are actually dogs in disguise. This happened at Shanwei Zoo in China, where visitors were shocked to see one of these “pandas” barking. A video revealed the deceit, showing a dog with a dyed coat lounging on a rock and another, with a curly tail, strolling by. The zoo initially claimed they were a rare "panda dog" breed, but had simply dyed two chow chow dogs, a report by the New York Post said. Watch the video: Glitch in the Matrix: China zoo forced to admit the truth after one of their “pandas” started panting and barking. The Shanwei zoo admits they painted dogs white and black to make them look like pandas. pic.twitter.com/5SWDlpOSqB — SynCronus (@syncronus) September 19, 2024 After discovering they had been deceived, numerous visitors sought refunds, feeling swindled by the zoo's antics. The exposure of this odd trick ignited a flurry of amusement and disbelief on social media, with many users ridiculing the zoo and questioning how such a stunt was permitted. Numerous people shared their thoughts online, with one user writing, “How could they even think we wouldn’t notice? A panda with a curly tail and barking?” Another user commented, “Truly made in China.” It seems this isn't the first time a Chinese zoo has come under fire for misleading visitors. NBC News reported that in May, the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province faced backlash after it was revealed that they had disguised chow chow dogs as pandas by dyeing their faces. A zoo spokesperson explained that the decision to use the fake pandas was made because there were no actual panda bears at the zoo.
