All out panda-monium!
Zoogoers in China have been left outraged after discovering that the so-called “pandas” they were cooing over were just painted pups.
The duped visitors claimed they only realized the scam at the Shanwei zoo when one of the apparent pandas started panting and barking, according to local media.
Video shot by a visitor showed one of the not-so-subtly disguised dogs clearly panting away while lying on a rock inside a fenced-off area.
Just moments later, a second pooch can be seen strolling along — with a long, curly tail.
The zoo initially tried to wash their hands of the sham by bizarrely claiming the animals were a breed of “panda dogs.”
They later came clean, though, and admitted they had just dyed two Chow Chows — a breed of spitz that is popular in northern China.
The visitors demanded their money back after the barking ordeal came to light.
It isn’t the first time a Chinese zoo has faced backlash over a similar counterfeit, with a group of fake pandas discovered at the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province back in May.
Zoo officials there dyed the faces of several Chow Chows and put them on display.
When asked why they tried to dupe visitors, a zoo rep said, “There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result.”
