That’s No Panda! Italian Circus in Hot Water After Trying to Pass Off Adorable Dogs as the Endangered Species

No one will ever suspect.

All sorts of things are trying to pass themselves off as pandas these days and I just will not stand for it! The panda is a proud species and deserves our… OMFG PANDA DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

According to International Business Times, the Orfei circus was passing off two white chow chow dogs (partially painted black) as pandas and charging for photos.

Police raided the circus premises as it was on a tour stop near the northern town of Brescia, after a tip-off by animal activists.

Members of the Animal Protection Party group, who paid an undercover visit to the circus to gather possible evidence of animal mistreatment, said they were surprised to spot the two weird-looking exotic bears.

“As soon as our volunteers got closer they realised the animals had nothing to do with the East Asian bears but were chow chow dogs painted as pandas,” the group’s chairman, Fabrizio Catelli, told Il Giorno newspaper.

The pandadogs are apparently in good health except for “excessive eye-watering,” likely due to the camera flashes they took in every day. But the circus insists they never actually claimed the fluffy-poos were pandas. “It’s obvious they are dogs,” circus secretary, Riccardo Gravina told IBT. “No animal was mistreated. They are like children to us.”

The story goes on to mention something about illegally forged dog passports and well, thank you and good night, everyone! I’m out!

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