Hairy dog masquerading as lion at Chinese zoo exposed when it began barking

Animal News

A Chinese zoo's supposed "African lion" has been exposed as a fraud when the dog used as a substitute started barking. The zoo in the People's Park of Luohe, in the central province of Henan, replaced exotic exhibits with common species.

A customer surnamed Liu, who wanted to show her son the different sounds animals made, pointed out that the animal in the cage labelled "African lion" was barking. The beast was in fact a Tibetan mastiff, a large and long-haired breed of dog. "

The zoo is absolutely cheating us," Liu, who was charged 15 yuan (£1.60, $2.50) for the ticket, said. "They are trying to disguise the dogs as lions." Three other species housed incorrectly included a white fox in a leopard's den and another dog in a wolf pen.

The chief of the park's animal department, Liu Suya, said that while it does have a lion, it had been taken to a breeding facility and the dog, which belonged to an employee, had been temporarily housed in the zoo over safety concerns.