Chinese zoo disguises dog as lion

Remember that guy who thought he'd brought a poodle, only to find out it was a ferret? Well, it seems as if that story failed to make its way to one particular Chinese zoo.

The rather inventive owners of a zoo in the People’s Park of Luohe, in the central province of Henan, have come under fire for using a dog as an "African lion". Yes, really.

The Tibetan Mastiff (above picture not of the actual dog involved sadly) was sneakily disguised and then blew his cover after barking in front of visitors. The zoo has also been accused of some other strange switcheroos.

They incorrectly housed rodents in a snake cage and a white fox in a leopard's den.

Understandably, the news hasn't gone down well in China. Newspaper Beijing Youth Daily quoted a customer called Liu who was trying to show her son what noises came from different animals. The results were rather inaccurate.

The zoo claims that the dog was being temporarily housed in that exhibit due to safety concerns. Because a lion's den is generally known as the safest place to be...

[via Jakarta Globe]

(Image: Rex Features)