Chinese Dog-Lion: Zoo Disguises Dog as African Lion

Disappointed customers at a Chinese zoo are complaining that they were cheated out of an authentic experience with the wildlife.

A family with the surname Liu were shocked when they paid a visit to the "African Lion" exhibit at the zoo in People's Park and discovered that the lion was actually a dog. Mrs. Liu exposed the fraud after her six-year-old son pointed out that the lion was barking like a dog.

Indeed, inside the enclosure marked "African Lion" was a Tibetan mastiff dog, reported Chinese media.

A zoo official in Henan province said the dog, which is owned by one of the workers, was put in the cage when the real lion was sent away to a breeding center.  However, outraged visitors to the zoo in Louhe city said they had been cheated, reports BBC.

"The zoo is absolutely trying to cheat us," said Mrs. Liu. "They are trying to disguise dogs as lions."

The chief of the park's animal department, Liu Suya, was quoted by the Beijing Youth Daily as saying the lion had been taken to a breeding facility and the Tibetan mastiff temporarily placed in its cage because of safety concerns.

In addition, there was another dog in the wolf cage, while some foxes were substituting the leopards, reports the Telegraph.

The animal substitues could be explained by the fact that many Chinese zoos have struggled to make money in recent years, after a government ruling that animal shows should cease and that they should operate on a non-profit basis.