What sound does a panda make? Well, if you’ve never actually heard a panda before, you might be tempted to guess they make a sound similar to other bears—perhaps a low growl or grumble. But one thing’s for sure, you wouldn’t expect them to bark like a dog!
However, in a bizarre turn of events at a zoo in Shanwei, Guangdong Province, visitors got a little more than they bargained for when the supposed pandas in the exhibit started sounding like, well, canines.
That’s right—what was advertised as a panda exhibit turned out to be something entirely different. A video clip taken by visitors quickly went viral, and it was easy to see why.
Instead of the iconic black-and-white bears, what the guests encountered were dogs—Chow Chows, to be exact—painted to resemble pandas! And to add insult to injury, the dogs weren’t just visually similar to pandas; they were barking and panting, behavior pandas definitely don’t display.
The zoo soon found itself in the middle of a controversy, as it admitted that the animals in the exhibit were indeed not real pandas. But here’s the kicker—the zoo denied trying to deceive anyone, claiming they only ever promised “panda dogs,” not actual giant pandas.
This odd explanation, of course, didn’t sit well with visitors, many of whom are now demanding refunds after feeling tricked by the misleading display.
This isn’t the first time such a stunt has been pulled. Earlier this year, a similar scandal rocked the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province. Like the Shanwei exhibit, visitors at Taizhou were stunned to discover that the “pandas” they had come to see were, in fact, Chow Chows dolled up with black paint.
Pictures and videos of these “panda dogs” spread like wildfire on Chinese social media and quickly caught attention worldwide. What started as a quirky deception quickly turned into an international incident.
In both cases, the zoos faced accusations of animal cruelty. Critics argued that painting dogs to look like pandas was not only deceptive but potentially harmful to the animals. However, representatives from the Taizhou Zoo downplayed these concerns, stating, “people also dye their hair,” as if that made the situation any more acceptable.
So, what’s the lesson here? If you’re visiting a zoo and hear barking from what’s supposed to be a panda enclosure, you might want to take a closer look. Apparently, in some zoos, the line between man’s best friend and one of China’s national treasures can get a little blurry—thanks to a bit of black paint and a dash of audacity.
