Chinese zoo ‘tries to pass off DOG as a wolf’ after workers claim wild beast ‘died of old age’ 

Chinese zoo ‘tries to pass off DOG as a wolf’ after workers claim wild beast ‘died of old age’

  • Rottweiler is seen lying in ‘wolf’ enclosure at Xiangwushan Zoo in central China
  • Zoo visitor Mr Xu posted the short video with the caption: ‘Woof! Are you a wolf?’
  • The video has reignited debate over the morality of zoos in a post-Covid era

A zoo in central China has been accused of trying to pass off a dog as a wolf after keepers replaced the beast with a domesticated animal when it ‘died of old age’. 

A video showing what appears to be a Rottweiler lying in the ‘wolf’ cage at the Xiangwushan Zoo in Xianning, Hubei province, was posted to social media on Tuesday.

Zoo visitor Mr Xu posted the short video, which has since gone viral, with the caption: ‘Woof! Are you a wolf?’.  

Speaking to Beijing News Mr Xu said that he had been told by keepers at the zoo that there had been a wolf living in the cage but it had ‘died of old age’. 

A zoo employee confirmed to local media that the guard dog was only being kept in the cage temporarily, BBC reports. 

Some joked that the zoo should ‘at least get a husky’ whilst another social media user added ‘Well, at least it was not a Chihuahua or a Pekinese!’  

Other social media users questioned how the zoo, which charges £1.70 admission, was able to afford to care for the animals.

An employee hinted to Shine.cn news that the zoo ‘didn’t have enough visitors to keep the zoo up and running well’. 

Zoo visitor Mr Xu posted the short video, which has since gone viral, with the caption: ‘Woof! Are you a wolf?’

Speaking to Beijing News Mr Xu said that he had been told by keepers at the zoo that there had been a wolf living in the cage but it had 'died of old age'

Speaking to Beijing News Mr Xu said that he had been told by keepers at the zoo that there had been a wolf living in the cage but it had ‘died of old age’

The video has also led to debate over the morality of zoos in a post-Covid era, as almost everyone in the world has experienced restrictions on their freedom during the pandemic. 

One user wrote that they were ‘shocked’ to see any animal kept in such a cage whilst others called for the zoo to be ‘shut down’ if it ‘can’t afford to maintain the zoo’.

In 2006 the Dezhou Zoo in Shandong Province, eastern China, was found to have been housing a husky dog in the same enclosure as a pack of wolves.

One user wrote that they were 'shocked' to see any animal kept in such a cage whilst others called for the zoo to be 'shut down' if it 'can't afford to maintain the zoo'

One user wrote that they were ‘shocked’ to see any animal kept in such a cage whilst others called for the zoo to be ‘shut down’ if it ‘can’t afford to maintain the zoo’

Concerns were expressed after a video, taken by a tourist, showed the dog limping inside the wolf enclosure.

The zoo said in a statement that they had deliberately kept the two species together to ‘add entertainment value’, reported Huanqiu.com, an affiliation to People’s Daily. 

Similar events in relation to mistreatment towards zoo animals have recently been exposed by web users in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

A heart-wrenching video showing a captive tiger walking in circles non-stop inside a small cage at a Beijing zoo was revealed in April

A heart-wrenching video showing a captive tiger walking in circles non-stop inside a small cage at a Beijing zoo was revealed in April

A heart-wrenching video showing a captive tiger appearing to be depressed as it walked in circles non-stop inside a tiny enclosure at a Beijing zoo was revealed in April.

Another appalling video shows Chinese visitors using fishing poles to feed captive tigers in a so-called ‘interactive programme’ offered by a wildlife zoo in south-eastern China’s Yunnan province.

The health crisis has shed a light on the issue of animal welfare in China as officials scramble to establish laws to protect wildlife.