17 October 2024 | 18:21

Fake penguins and pandas: how zoos deceive tourists

Image created from video frames

Tengrinews.kz - Chinese zoos and aquariums are increasingly at the center of scandals involving deception of visitors.

According to the Daily Mail, tourists visiting Xiaomeisha Ocean World in Shenzhen were disappointed to find a robotic replica instead of the advertised whale shark. The ticket price was around 20,000 tenge, which caused dissatisfaction among visitors.

@zmedia.entertainment
China Perkenalkan Robot Hiu Paus Cerdas dengan Teknologi Terdepan China memperkuat posisi terdepan dalam inovasi teknologi kelautan dengan peluncuran robot hiu paus cerdas pertama di dunia. Hasil karya Shenyang Aerospace Xinguang Group ini memiliki dimensi hampir lima meter dengan berat 350 kilogram. Robot ini tidak hanya meniru gerakan hiu paus sungguhan seperti berenang dan menyelam, tetapi juga dilengkapi sensor canggih, kamera optik, dan sistem penentuan posisi. Dengan kemampuan ini, robot hiu paus diharapkan dapat menjadi alat penting dalam penelitian dan eksplorasi lingkungan bawah air yang kompleks.
♬ suara asli - Z Media Entertainment

This incident is just one of many where zoos have attempted to attract tourists by passing off ordinary animals as exotic or using fakes. For instance, in China, Chow Chow dogs have been repeatedly presented as pandas after being painted in black and white, leading to criticism for animal cruelty.

@jcash500 A zoo in China sparked all out panda-monium after they dressed dogs as pandas because they didn't have the genuine artifact, as seen in viral photos. The fake pandas, unveiled May 1 at the Taizhou. Zoo in Jiangsu Province, were actually Chow Chow dogs - a big-haired breed from Northern China, WHAT?!? #fyp #fypage #trending #fypシ #wild #viral #animals #dogs #pandas #china ♬ original sound - JacksonB

Another incident occurred at the Guishan Zoo in Yulin City, where inflatable copies were found instead of real penguins. The zoo advertised ostriches and peacocks, but instead, there were only chickens, geese, and turtles. One turtle was placed in a glass box with the sign "fortune tortoise," and visitors were asked to throw money in it.

At the Yancheng Wild Animal World in Changzhou, an incident took place when people in gorilla costumes were found in the enclosure instead of real gorillas. The administration stated that this was part of an April Fool's program, but many visitors perceived it as an attempt to mislead them, leading to a negative reaction.

Photo: Facebook, Mahmoud Sarhan

Such cases are not limited to China. In 2018, a zoo in Cairo, Egypt, became embroiled in a scandal when tourists suspected that the "zebras" were actually donkeys painted with black and white stripes, as the animals appeared disproportionately small and had overly large ears.