China Zoo 'Dyes' Chow Chow Dogs to Pass Off As Panda Bears and People Are Outraged
The Taizhou Zoo in China is under scrutiny after it was discovered that visitors to their zoo expecting to see Panda bears actually waited in line to see animals that just looked like Panda bears, adorable Chow Chow dogs that had their hair dyed to resemble the amazingly rare bears.
Even though these Pandas aren't actually Pandas, the dogs sure do look cute.
The Sun reports "Tens of thousands of people visited the "panda dogs" every day from May 1 to May 5, Chinese media Jiupai News reports.
Clips taken by visitors appeared to show the pups with black ears, limbs, and dark circles around their eyes, but their canine features were still very much apparent.
The dyed pets sparked a wave of complaints against Taizhou Zoo as furious visitors claimed they were mislead into believing they would see real pandas.
Related: Pandas Are About to Make a Comeback to the United States
Some people complained that it was cruel to dye the dogs to look like pandas, but actually there are some hair colors that are totally safe for pets. I'm not a huge fan of dying an animal's fur, but if someone uses pet safe dye that's really up to the owner.
Why the Zoo May Have Pulled This Stunt
Giant Pandas are an endangered species and amongst one of the world's most threatened animals with only less than 2,000 of these beautiful creatures in the wild. More than 300 giant Pandas live in captivity in various facilities around the globe.
When the National Zoo had Giant Pandas, visits to the National Zoo between Sept. 26 and Nov. 9 — roughly the start of Panda Palooza to the bears’ departure day — increased 179 percent over the same period in 2022, said Ellie Tahmaseb, a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. More than 250,000 people entered the National Zoo over that six-week period last year, including guests from Alaska, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Guam.
People love seeing Giant Pandas and they draw huge crowds to zoos.
Where can you see these beautiful Animals in the United States? The Associated Press reports that It will still be months before the San Diego Zoo gets new pandas, the first such bears sent to the United States by China in decades.
For now, the only U.S. zoo left with any is in Atlanta. But globally there are many places to check out the cuddly black-and-white bundles of fur as they munch on bamboo, climb trees and lounge on their backs.Globally you can see these creatures in Moscow, Mexico City and Berlin.
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