‘Panda Dogs’: Chinese zoo goes viral for luring visitors with painted pups

By Alex Stambaugh and Manveena Suri, CNN

(CNN) — A zoo in China has admitted its star attraction, two so-called pandas, are just painted dogs.

The fluffy Chow Chow dogs painted to resemble the country’s beloved national animal were seen in a video shot by a visitor to the zoo in southern Guangdong province.

The video, posted Monday on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, has gone viral, being shared more than 1.4 million times and liked by over 725,000 users.

In a photo shared by another user on social media, the black and white canines can be seen in an enclosure next to a sign that says “painted dogs.”

“We are called Panda Dogs, a pet dog that looks like a panda, dyed and dressed up by Chow Chow. We are gentle, smart, friendly, cute and adorable!” the sign says.

The zoo’s manager, surnamed Huang, said the dogs are one of its top attractions.

“You can see by our name, we are ‘Strange Animals and Cute Pets Paradise,’” she told state-affiliated outlet Sichuan Observation. “These are Chow Chow dogs being painted (as pandas), as this is part of our specialties.”

This is not the first time dogs have been painted to look like pandas or other wild animals in China.

In May, a zoo in eastern Jiangsu province sparked outrage after visitors discovered it painted two dogs black and white to resemble pandas. Following widespread criticism, the zoo admitted the ruse.

A café in the southwestern city of Chengdu also came under fire in 2019 for offering a dyeing service for people to make their pets look like pandas. And in 2016, pet shops in Guangdong were caught selling dogs dyed to look like miniature tigers.

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