A Chinese Zoo Tried To Pass Off This Huge, Fluffy Dog As A Lion
There was also a rat in the snake's cage and a fox in the leopard's den.
The People's Park Zoo in Luohe, Henan, made international headlines Thursday after Chinese newspapers reported the zoo was trying to disguise a dog as an African lion.
Sina Weibo / Via scmp.com
The "lion" was really a Tibetan mastiff. Visitors reportedly called the zoo's bluff when they heard the animal bark.
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A Tibetan mastiff dog at a mastiff show in Baoding, Hebei province, south of Beijing on March 9, 2013.
"The African lions will be back. They went to another zoo to breed," an administrator at the People's Park Zoo explained to the Oriental Daily.
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Tibetan mastiffs are hugely popular in China, selling for as much as $750,000. Puppies are smuggled in from the Himalayan plateau, despite many veterinarians arguing that the huge dogs are "unsuitable" as household pets in the climate.
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Tibetan mastiff puppies!
They're known for being difficult to train, but Tibetan mastiffs are also among the "most reliable guard dogs around."
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More mistaken identity at the People's Park Zoo, via users on Sina Weibo:
