#Socialites, get a load of this Panda-monium! A zoo in China is under fire and facing animal cruelty claims after dying the fur of puppies and passing them off as panda bears.
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According to Jam Press, the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province is catching serious heat after viral photos and videos showed Chow Chow puppies dressed as panda bears. It’s reported that Chow Chow dogs are big-haired pups from Northern China.
Officials at the Zoo are accused of trimming the puppies’ manes and dying their faces and fur black to make it look like they are China’s iconic bamboo-eating panda bears. According to reports, the zoo put the “panda dogs” on display in an enclosure every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as hundreds of patrons visited the zoo eager to see cute panda bears.
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When the officials at the zoo in China were asked why they placed paint-covered dogs on display to pass as panda bears, a representative claimed, “There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result. A lot of people are coming to visit them and you need to queue up. You can see them from between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.”
While the thought may have seemed pure and lighthearted in intent, many visitors accused the zoo of animal cruelty. However, officials at the zoo in China insisted that the swap-a-roo isn’t harmful to the doggies. The rep continued to say, “People also dye their hair. Natural dye can be used on dogs if they have long fur.”
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As mentioned several photos and videos have since been uploaded onto social media platforms and one video of the puppies with dyed fur has since gone extremely viral on Facebook. One person wrote, “They are very small to run that fast! I think they’re lovely.” Another person quipped, “Well that’s an extreme way to get your dogs cared for while you’re at work lol.” A third person added, “I think they’re cute.”
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