A Chinese zoo has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that it dyed two dogs black and orange to resemble tigers. As per a report in the New York Post, the zoo, located in Taizhou in the Jiangsu Province has been flagged on Chinese social media by users for attempting to fool the tourists. The zoo promoted itself on the ByteDance-owned app Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, during a live stream: claiming: “Our tigers are huge and very fierce!”
After the video went viral, social media users pointed out that the creatures enclosed in wooden pens on the screen were not tigers, albeit two Chow Chow dogs who were painted bright orange with black stripes.
The zoo later confessed to local media outlets that the dogs were dyed as “a gimmick” before adding that there were no health risks associated with the move.
“It was a native Chow Chow dyed into a ‘tiger dog’, not a tiger,” the zoo explained.
On January 24, 2025, at the “Qinhu Bay Forest Animal Kingdom” in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, China, the park promoted itself on a Douyin livestream, claiming: “Our tigers are huge and very fierce!” pic.twitter.com/LFoGUm0fWc
— ( ͡ ͡° ͜ ʖ ͡ ͡°) (@eseLSMN) January 27, 2025
Internet reacts
The users criticised the zoo for its cheap marketing stunt and called it out for previously attempting something similar.
“It didn’t work when China tried the same thing with a panda. Why did they think it would work this time?” said one user, while another added: “They need to stop doing this over and over again.”
A third commented: “Many zoos in China have been caught painting chows as pandas as well. There’s a video online. Some zoo goers even demanded their money back, as the panda is one of the bigger attractions.”
Also Read | Watch: Panting, Barking Dogs Painted As Pandas At China Zoo
Previous instance
This is not the first instance when the zoo has faced backlash for its antics. Last year, it painted Chow Chow dogs white and black to look like real pandas. The zoo advertised the attraction of ”Xiong Mao Quan”, which translates as ”panda dogs” to boost its visitor footfall during the May Day holiday.
The painted dogs were left on display every day between 8 am and 5 pm, where throngs of visitors congregated to look at them.
Quizzed about its decision to paint the dogs, a zoo representative said: “There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result.”
The zoo further explained that “people also dye their hair,” adding that “natural dye can be used on dogs if they have long fur”.
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