KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — A zoo in Xichang, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province has gone viral on social media for trying to pass off a golden retriever dog as an African lion.
Chinese state media Global Times reported that the matter came to light following a video clip shot by a visitor showing the dog lying in the cage but a signboard identifying it as a lion.
A Twitter user shared that dogs were now replacing other animals in zoos.
“I recalled a dog was substituted for a wolf in another Chinese zoo,” the user tweeted on Sina Weibo.
Responding to queries from local media, the zoo admitted to the mix-up and blamed it on the lack of time for failing to change the sign.
“The cage used to be for an African lion, but now it’s been re-designated as one for a golden retriever,” a zoo employee said, adding that the dog belongs to the zoo’s owner.
The portal further reported that a similar incident had occurred at Xianning, Central China’s Hubei Province in early March where a dog was used to replace a wolf.
Internet users joked that the zoo operator should have used a husky dog, as it was harder to differentiate from a real wolf.
