Lying about its lion, Chinese zoo closed for going to the dogs

Lying about its lion, Chinese zoo closed for going to the dogs

8:21am EDT

BEIJING (Reuters) – A zoo in central China has been closed after visitors were outraged to discover its lion was really a bushy and barking Tibetan mastiff. The dog was not the only fake at People’s Park Zoo in the city of Luohe, which tried to pass off other common mammals and rodents as a leopard and snakes, Chinese media reported. Photographs showed the mastiff with its muzzle poking through the bars of its dingy enclosure. A grimy sign on the cage read “African Lion” in Chinese characters. The zoo apologized for the exhibits and was closed down for “rectification”, the Beijing News said, citing local officials. Animal rights activists have criticized Chinese zoos for their record of poor conditions and other abuses. Chinese zoo that substituted lions with dogs closes temporarily. The Chinese zoo which substituted its expensive and rare animals for cheaper “alternatives” has shut for one day, to allow the enclosure signs to be changed.A Tibetan mastiff looks out from a cage near a sign which reads “African lion” in a zoo in Luohe. Photo: AP

By Harriet Alexander

2:36PM BST 16 Aug 2013

The zoo, in the eastern Chinese city of Luohe, in Henan province, hit the headlines earlier this week when The Telegraph reported how it had downgraded its exotic beasts for more everyday specimens.

Indeed, inside the enclosure marked “African Lion” was a Tibetan mastiff dog. There was another dog in the wolf cage, while some foxes were standing in for the leopards. A pair of large rats could be found scuttling around a glass cage meant for snakes.

However, on Friday the zoo was closed for a “rectification” of the signs.

The zoo has “altered several misnamed animal signs”, the Beijing Timesreported, adding that zoo officials have issued a public apology and “closed for rectification”.

There was no official explanation for the change of exhibits earlier this week, but one zookeeper said the lion had been sent away for breeding.

Yu Hua, a spokesman for the People’s Park said that the zoo had been run by a private businessman for several years, at an annual rent of 100,000 yuan (£11,000). It has been run privately since 1998.

Many Chinese zoos have struggled to make money in recent years, after a government ruling that animal shows should cease and that they should operate on a non-profit basis.

Some of the zoo’s clients were unimpressed, however.

Liu Wen, who took her son to the zoo, said: “I had my young son with me so I tried to play along and told him it was a special kind of lion.

“But then the dog barked and he knew straight away what it was and that I’d lied to him.

“How can they tell such dreadful tales and expect to get away with it?”

A spokesman for the zoo said: “We’re doing our best in tough economic times.

“If anyone is unhappy with our displays we will give back their money.”

The zoo was expected to reopen in the next few days.