A zoo in China is facing an uproar of criticism this week, after it was revealed that its African lion is in fact a dog. The zoo, located in the People’s Park of Luohe in the province of Henan, reportedly tried to disguise a Tibetan mastiff as a big cat, putting it on display in a cage marked “African lion”, according to AFP. The Tibetan mastiff is a large, long-haired dog with a slightly lion-like mane, but the zoo’s charade was exposed after visitors heard the animal bark.
According to the People’s Daily, the zoo also tried to replace other exotic animals with even less congruous substitutes. The snake cage, for instance, contained two large rats and exactly zero snakes, while a leopard cage reportedly included fox-like creatures.