Visitors at a Chinese zoo were outraged after discovering that two animals, presented as pandas, were actually painted dogs. Shanwei Zoo was the epicenter of this incident where visitors realized that these 'painted pandas' were panting and barking. Just like dogs do!

Zoo's Attempt to Defend ItselfThe zoo first justified its conduct after the commotion by saying the animals belonged to a species of "panda dogs." Still, this declaration did nothing to diffuse popular outrage. The zoo eventually acknowledged that it had painted two chow chows to look like pandas. Northern China's popular spitz breed, chow chows, were colored to resemble the classic black-and-white bears. Visitors Discover Fake PandasWhen one of the purported pandas, which was lying on a rock inside a gated enclosure, began panting and barking, it became obvious that the animal was a fake. This exposed the swindle. Walking around the enclosure came another dog, this one with a long curling tail. It was a shocking realization for the guests, who had thought they were seeing pandas. Social media users rapidly shared video footage of the somewhat obvious disguise that one of the visitors had adopted. Visitors Demand RefundsWhen the zoo visitors discovered that they had been duped, upset guests sought refunds. Many were distraught, pointing out that they had paid to see pandas but were met by dogs in disguise instead. The zoo's dishonest practices soon spread across Shanwei and the rest of China. Similar Incidents in the PastChinese zoos have received criticism before for doing similar pranks. A similar plan drew criticism for Jiangsu Province's Taizhou Zoo in May. A number of chow chows were painted to resemble pandas and put on exhibit. When asked about the trick, Taizhou zoo authorities acknowledged that they had dyed the dogs, but they justified it by claiming that they didn't have any real panda bears. Since then, the Shanwei Zoo has come under fire for deceiving its guests.