A zoo in China has taken the phrase “fake it till you make it” a little too literally—by allegedly painting donkeys with black and white stripes to pass them off as zebras. The bold attempt to boost visitor numbers didn’t exactly go unnoticed, as the suspiciously well-groomed “zebras” left guests more confused than impressed.
The Zibo City amusement park, located in Shandong province, came under scrutiny earlier this month when social media users noticed the suspiciously neat stripes on the animals, China’s state-run Global Times reported. One widely shared photo even showed a zoo worker standing beside a donkey covered in artificial zebra markings.
Following heated online debate, park representatives reportedly admitted that the paint job was a marketing strategy. However, the revelation only invited more criticism, with many calling it a “misleading and unethical” stunt, CNN reported.
“It’s unfair to the animals and the visitors,” one critic wrote on Chinese social media platform Douyin, as reported by Metro. Some users speculated that duct tape had been used to create the stripes, while others suspected dye. The zoo later confirmed that it had used dye but claimed it was non-toxic.
The backlash continued on other platforms, with Facebook users mocking the poor execution of the disguise. “They did a pretty bad job too,” one person wrote. “Those stripes look like a mess… like a piñata,” another joked.
This isn’t the first time a zoo has been caught attempting such a ruse.
The Zibo City amusement park allegedly took inspiration from another Chinese zoo that tried to pass off dyed dogs as pandas. Visitors at the Shanwei Zoo grew suspicious when one of the so-called pandas started panting and barking. The zoo initially denied the accusations but later admitted to the deception.
Similar incidents have occurred outside China as well. In 2018, a zoo in Cairo, Egypt, was accused of painting donkeys to resemble zebras after visitors pointed out that the animals’ facial features and ears didn’t match those of real zebras. The zoo’s director, Mohamed Sultan, initially denied the claims, insisting the animals were well cared for.
Animal rights activists, however, have strongly condemned such practices. PETA criticised roadside zoos for prioritising profits over animal welfare.
PETA also pointed a similar case in Gaza in 2009, where zookeepers resorted to painting donkeys because they were unable to import real zebras due to an Israeli blockade.