Zoo Disguises Dog as Lion

A Chinese zoo in the People's Park to Luohe has come under fire for attempting to pass off a dog as an African lion--a plan that was going swimmingly until the dog started barking. The "lion" turned out to be a zoo staffer's Tibetan mastiff, a large, long-haired breed of dog, that was subbing in while the lion was taken to a breeding facility. "The zoo is absolutely cheating us," a customer with the last name Liu told a Chinese newspaper. Customers apparently paid 15 yuan ($2.45) per ticket and were also treated to the sight of another dog passing off as a wolf, a white fox in a leopard's den and two coypu rodents in a snake's cage.