The zoo in the Chinese city of Taizhou was at the center of a scandal after the administration tried to present the chow chow dogs as real pandas. To do this, the animals were painted in black and white to resemble popular Chinese mammals. The situation caused a resonance after visitors and animal rights activists drew attention to the substitution, which led to a barrage of criticism against the zoo. The incident was reported by the Unilad news portal.
The reaction of Visitors and Animal Rights Activists
When the Taizhou Zoo opened a new attraction on May 1, many visitors came with the expectation of seeing exotic animals. However, instead of the long-awaited pandas, they found chow chow dogs painted to look like pandas. The animals had white muzzles with black spots around their eyes and ears, which gave the deceptive impression that they were real pandas in front of the audience.
Animal Cruelty
The news quickly spread, and the zoo administration received accusations of animal cruelty. The public was outraged that the zoo, instead of admitting the absence of pandas, went to such a deception, subjecting the animals to coloring and haircuts. However, a representative of the zoo tried to defend the decision, arguing that "people also dye their hair" and that the use of natural dyes for animals with long hair does not pose a danger.
The Zoo Administration's response
The zoo administration explained that they had to use chow chow dogs instead of pandas because they couldn't afford real animals. Despite the barrage of criticism, zoo officials noted that this did not affect attendance, and people still came to the zoo to look at these "impostor pandas." Nevertheless, animal rights activists continue to express concern about the treatment of animals at the Taizhou Zoo. The case raised questions about the need for careful regulation and monitoring of animal conditions in zoos so that such situations do not recur in the future.