Chinese zoo slammed for dyeing dogs to look like pandas

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What’s black and white and super-cuddly all over?

Not these two pandas — but only because they turned out to be dogs, not bears.

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A zoo in China has been accused of trying to deceive visitors with a pair of dogs that were dyed black and white to look like little panda bears.

Videos shared on China’s social media platform Weibo show the “panda dogs” at Taizhou Zoo, located in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

While the animals did resemble pandas, the dogs’ wagging tails was a dead giveaway.

Zoo officials confirmed to Chinese state media that the pandas were indeed Chow Chows — but said there they had clearly marketed them as “panda dogs.”

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The dogs remain at the exhibit, zoo officials told NBC News, where people are still streaming in to check what all the fuss was about.

However, the zoo — which does not have real pandas — was called out by state media and social media for misleading visitors and mistreating the animals.

“It is not funny at all to dye Chow Chow dogs to attract tourists,” one commenter wrote Weibo, according to NBC.

“Their fragile skin and naturally thick coats make them susceptible to skin diseases.”

However, zoo officials defended the exhibit, insisting the dogs had not been harmed.

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“Normal people dye their hair,” a spokesperson told Qilu Evening News. “Dogs can dye their hair, too. It’s the same as hair.”

This is not the first time a zoo in China has raised eyebrows for its bears.

Other Chinese zoos have been accused of trying to pass off dogs dyed to look like wolves or African cats, and donkeys painted to look like zebras.

Last August, the Hangzhou Zoo was forced to issue a statement that their Malaysian sun bear exhibit were actual bears — and not people in costumes.

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