puppies that look like lions!!

Chinese Zoo Tried to Pass Off Dog As Lion, Failed

A Tibetan mastiff dog is displayed for sale at a mastiff show in Baoding, Hebei province, south of Beijing on March 9, 2013. Fetching prices up to around 750,000 USD, mastiffs have become a prized status-symbol amongst China's wealthy, with rich buyers across the country sending prices skyrocketing. Owners say the mastiffs, descendents of dogs used for hunting by nomadic tribes in central Asia and Tibet are fiercely loyal and protective. Breeders still travel to the Himalayan plateau to collect young puppies, although many are unable to adjust to the low altitudes and die during the journey.
A Tibetan mastiff. Photo: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

The People’s Park of Luohe has a completely reasonable explanation for why the animal inside its lion cage was actually a Tibetan mastiff, a very lion-y-looking breed of dog, as zoo-goers noticed recently when the lion barked:


Don’t ask any follow-up questions about what kind of safety concerns were addressed when a large dog was placed in the lion’s cage. Just accept that it was safety concerns. And that this was a totally innocent mistake. 

Other species were also apparently mislabelled; there was a white fox in a leopard’s den and another dog being passed off as a wolf.

Also because of safety! This is all for safety, you guys. It’s almost like you have no concerns at all about safety.

Chinese Zoo Tried to Pass Off Dog As Lion