Chinese zoo attempted to pass mastiff off as 'African lion'

LUOHE, China, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A Chinese zoo is being accused of animal impersonations including attempting to pass of a large brown dog as an "African lion."

Henan provincial newspaper Dongfang Jinbao said the zoo at the People's Park in Luohe has been the subject of complaints from visitors accusing the facility of trying to have a Tibetan mastiff, a dog with fluffy brown fur around its face, pose as an African lion, the South China Morning Post reported Thursday.

"The African lions will be back. They went to another zoo to breed," a zoo administrator told the Oriental Daily.

The administrator said "the dog is a pet."

Mother Sharon Liu, who visited the zoo with her 6-year-old son, said she was angry to discover the dog in the lion pen.

"To use a dog to impersonate a lion is definitely an insult to tourists," she said.