Chinese zoo faces criticism after colouring dog 'pandas'

                           Chinese zoo faces criticism after colouring dog 'pandas'

A Chinese zoo has come under fire for coloring a chow chow dog to resemble a panda, angering many visitors.

A YouTube video showed the puppy with black spots on its ears and legs, making it look like a panda, but its behavior raised questions.

When questioned by the zoo, it admitted to coloring the dog to resemble a panda, but insisted it had not fooled anyone and called the dog a "panda dog".

The situation led to a refund request from Guangdong's Shanwei Zoo, which claims to keep "rare and exotic animals".

The incident follows a similar incident at Taizhou Zoo in May, where a chow chow was also altered to resemble a panda, raising suspicions of animal cruelty.

The zoo defended its actions, arguing that there are no real pandas and that the "panda dog" is an alternative attraction.

“A lot of people are coming to visit them and you need to queue up. There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result. You can see them from between 8.30 am and 5 pm,” the zoo spokesperson stated.

Addressing the animal cruelty claims, the spokesperson added, “People also dye their hair. Natural dye can be used on dogs if they have long fur.”