There’s no such thing as a panda dog. There is such a thing as a raccoon dog (the famous tanuki of Japan), but not a panda dog.
That has not stopped China’s Taizhou Zoo from taking Chow Chow dogs, dyeing them to resemble the iconic black and white bamboo-earing bear, and advertising them to the public as panda dogs.
Social media posts showed Taizhou Zoo unveiled a new exhibition featuring “panda dogs” on 1 May. Visitors were also charged 20 yuan (£2.22) to see the new attraction.
But those who travelled to the zoo in Jiangsu province discovered the animals were actually chow chows – a dog breed known for its thick double coat of fur from northern China – which were dyed to resemble pandas.
According to Chinese state media outlet The Global Times, lawyers said “inevitably the visitors will feel disappointed and deceived upon discovering the truth” about the exhibit.
A zoo worker…
