Fury erupted as a zoo resorted to dyeing dogs as pandas due to a lack of real ones in eastern China.

Video filmed in Taizhou City in Jiangsu Province on May 3, shows two pups with fur patterns strikingly similar to pandas – black and white patches, black ears, dark eye sockets – yet their mannerisms resemble those of ordinary dogs, wagging tails and all.

Recent reports have surfaced concerning the Taizhou Zoo's peculiar exhibit: two rather odd-looking "panda dogs" that have left visitors scratching their heads.

Visitors pointed out that the zoo's tickets advertised a "panda dog meet-up" without explicitly mentioning pandas. Additionally, the enclosure displayed an official description of "panda dogs," stating that they're not a specific purebred but rather canines resembling pandas due to grooming or natural colouring.

A zoo spokesperson, Liu Qiuming, explained, "Originally, they were two Chow Chows. The idea to dye them as pandas came from the internet, aiming to boost the zoo's appeal and increase visitor numbers. We've made it clear beforehand that they're not real pandas, so there's no deception."

When questioned about why real pandas weren't brought in, Liu mentioned the zoo's small size and insufficient qualifications, preventing them from acquiring actual pandas.

In response, a professional pet groomer, known as Lolo, commented, "As long as the dog is healthy with long hair, dyeing is possible, which is quite popular abroad. Professional pet dyeing ensures the dye doesn't touch the skin, leaving about a centimetre of safety margin."

Regarding dye selection, Lolo explained that pet-specific dyes contain natural plant ingredients, with better quality ones costing around £11.24 per tube. Furthermore, dyeing Chow Chows into "panda dogs" requires high skill levels and comes with a hefty price tag."

As of now, the two "panda dogs" continue to be exhibited, attracting numerous visitors daily.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

Fury erupts as Chinese zoo resorts to dyeing dogs as pandas due to lack of real ones
Chinese zoo that is not allowed pandas paints chow chow dogs black-and-white
A zoo that compensated for not being given any giant pandas has become a laughing stock after colouring two Chow Chow dogs black and white to make them look like pandas.

The hilarious video of the panda-like dogs on display at the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province has actually made them incredibly popular with visitors.

Local media confirmed that despite the superficial similarity they were still dogs that had been dyed white and black give them a panda-like appearance.

A spokesman for Taizhou Zoo confirmed that they had purchased the panda dogs because they were not allowed to have any real pandas, and they were in fact a pair of Chow Chows.

They added they had been pleasantly surprised by the reaction among visitors, who appeared to like visiting the panda dogs.

As a national treasure, giant pandas are only allocated to certain zoos that match certain conditions, with fierce competition to win the chance to have them on display.

TaizhouZoo is not the first to dress Chow Chows like pandas. Public reports show that in 2014, two dogs from an Italian circus were confiscated by the police on the grounds that they were painted black and white to resemble pandas.

In 2016, on Orchard Road in Singapore, someone also led three 'giant pandas' while shopping. They were also three dyed chowchows. Dog owners stress that the dye is all natural and very safe.
近日，不少游客反映，江苏泰州动物园展出了两只奇奇怪怪的“熊猫犬”，毛发黑白相间，看上去却“狗里狗气”。
据游客拍摄的视频显示，这两只“熊猫犬”身上的颜色与熊猫十分相似，都是黑白相间，黑色耳朵、黑色眼眶……但走起路来，甩头摆尾的样子，却很像小狗。
游客还表示，泰州动物园门票上印有“熊猫犬见面会”字样，并没有说明是熊猫。另外，所在馆舍还贴出了“熊猫犬”的官方简介：“熊猫犬”并不是一个特定的纯种犬，而是一种外形酷似熊猫的宠物犬。这种称呼通常用于描述那些被修剪成特定样式，或者天生毛色分布类似熊猫的狗。它们的典型特征是白色底毛配上黑色斑纹，尤其是在眼圈和耳朵周围，模仿了大熊猫的面部特征。
泰州动物园工作人员柳秋明说：“这原本是两只松狮犬，把狗染成熊猫的创意来源于网络，这样做是为了增加动物园的趣味性，提高客流量。已经提前告知大家这不是大熊猫，不存在欺骗行为。”当被问到为什么不引进真的熊猫时，柳秋明表示因为动物园规模比较小，资质不够，目前还引进不了大熊猫。 对此，专业宠物美容师洛洛（化名）表示：“只要是皮肤健康、身体无恙、有较长毛发的狗狗，可以染发，这个在国外很流行。专业的宠物染发，染发剂不会溅到皮肤上，我们会给皮肤预留一公分左右的安全距离。”而在染发剂的选择上，洛洛介绍，宠物专用的是纯天然植物的成分，好一点的差不多100多元一管。此外，将松狮犬染成‘熊猫犬’要求技术比较高，收费价格不便宜。”
据了解，目前两只“熊猫犬”仍在正常展出，并且每天有大量游客慕名而来。