A zoo in China has admitted its star attraction, two so-called pandas, are just painted dogs. The fluffy Chow Chow dogs painted to resemble the country’s beloved national animal were seen in a video shot by a visitor to the zoo in southern Guangdong province.

A Chinese zoo has admitted that the pandas in their exhibits were, in fact, “painted dogs .” According to the New York Post, visitors at the Shanwei Zoo realized they were being bamboozled when the so-called pandas began panting and barking. Pandas are native to China and an international symbol of the country.

Visitors at the Shanwei Zoo in China were stunned to discover that the “pandas” they came to see were painted dogs modeled after endangered bears. RELATED STORIES: Whew! Amy Slaton, Star of ‘1000-Lb.

A zoo in China received criticism this week over allegations that staff painted dogs' fur black and white to resemble pandas, as evident by emerging pictures