When lion is 'out', dog has to play a part  

动物园藏獒冒充非洲狮遭识破 称狮子有事出门

近日，有游客反映，河南漯河市动物园用藏獒冒充狮子，因为汪汪叫被游客识破。除此之外，蛇馆里展出的是两个巨大的“老鼠”，狼馆里面竟然是一只狗，而在金钱豹馆里，一个不知名的动物悠然地躺着。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- A zoo's attempt to pass off a Tibetan mastiff as an African lion has infuriated visitors, according to a Beijing Youth Daily report.

At the People's Park Zoo in Luohe city, Henan province, a cage marked "African lions" actually contained a Tibetan mastiff, a breed of domestic dog with fluffy brown fur around its face.

A park visitor surnamed Liu noticed something wasn't right at the zoo last week, when her 6-year-old son pointed out that the African lion they had paid to see began barking.

Upon closer inspection, she discovered the animal was actually a Tibetan mastiff.

"To use a dog as a lion is definitely an insult to tourists," she said.

However, the 'dog-as-lion' was not an isolated case at the zoo.

Two rodents are housed in an enclosure labeled "snakes," fox-like creatures are 'disguised'as leopards.

A netizen joked that it seemed that cosplay is also trendy among animals.

Facing the outraged visitors, Liu Suya, manager of the zoo, said the zoo does have an African lion, which has temporarily been moved to a breeding facility.

The 'fox-like creatures' are actually a blue fox and an arctic fox, which are new at the zoo. They are just temporarily staying at the enclosure was once used for leopards, Liu said.

The leopards have also been moved to other zoos for breeding purposes, Liu added.

On Tuesday, Qiao Hua, head of People's Park, where the zoo is located, said private contractors ran the zoo.

In 2010, the government stopped giving contracts to private operators for animal parks and zoos, but the contract for the Luohe zoo had not expired yet. Qiao said the signs would be "promptly corrected".