Chinese zoo sparks fury after painting chow chow dogs to look like PANDAS for their latest attraction

A zoo in China has sparked fury after unveiling its new 'panda dogs' attraction in a somewhat misleading bid to draw in crowds.

The Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province revealed its latest attraction last week, an exhibit featuring two small Chow Chow dogs that had allegedly been dyed by zookeepers to look like panda bears.

The Chow Chows, a spitz-type dog originally from northern China, had their fur trimmed short before black and white dye was added to their face and body.

The zoo's new residents drew a large crowd during their debut on May 1, but the attraction was quickly slammed by locals who accused the zoo of animal cruelty.

However, a local pet beautician said natural dyes are suitable for most pets, but to avoid any products with chemicals, What'sTheJam reported.

The Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province, China revealed its latest attraction last week, an exhibit featuring two so-called 'panda dogs'

 The small Chow Chow dogs were dyed by zookeepers to look like panda bears. The dogs had their fur trimmed short before black and white dye was added to their face and body

The zoo's new residents drew a large crowd during their debut on May 1, but the attraction was quickly slammed by locals who accused the zoo of animal cruelty. However, a local pet beautician said natural dyes are suitable for most pets

The Taizhou Zoo said it presented the 'panda dogs' to the public since they don't have any of the actual animals for visitors to see. 

A zoo spokesperson said in response: 'A lot of people are coming to visit them and you need to queue up.

'There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result. 

'You can see them from between 8.30am and 5pm.'

The spokesperson also hit back at the cruelty accusations, saying:  'People also dye their hair. Natural dye can be used on dogs if they have long fur.

A video of the dogs' debut appearance has gone viral on Facebook, racking up 37,000 views and 1,200 likes.

A social media user named Maru commented: 'They are very small to run that fast! I think they're lovely.'

Helen added: 'Well that's an extreme way to get your dogs cared for while you're at work lol.' [sic]

Wai said: 'I think they're cute.'