The Chinese zoo has admitted. It now admits to dyeing dogs to look like pandas.
A video posted earlier this week on social media platform Douyin, China's version of TikTok, showed two pieces of food dyed to mimic a panda's two-tone coat, CNN reported.
This breed of dog has a thick base of fur that gives it a luxurious appearance, like the symbolic animal of China.
The video quickly went viral, being reshared more than 1.4 million times.
According to one X user, the barking dogs quickly alerted visitors.
In the face of a tsunami of comments, the zoo decided to come clean.
A sign has been installed near the fence and now displays the two animals as “painted dogs.”
“We are Panda Dogs, a painted dog that looks like a panda. We are kind, smart, friendly, sweet and adorable,” the description reads.
The director of the zoo, located in southern China's coastal Guangdong Province, says the two food birds are a favorite among visitors.
“It's one of our specialties,” she declares.
This practice is not the first in the country. Last May, another zoo sparked outrage after visitors discovered that two pandas on site were actually painted dogs.
Faced with outcry, the park eventually admitted to the ruse.
