The Barking Lions of China


A Tibetan mastiff

Things went down south for a Chinese zoo in 2013 after it was caught parading a Tibetan mastiff dog as a lion.

"In China, owning a Tibetan mastiff is believed to be a sign of wealth*. Originally bred to protect sheep, Tibetan mastiffs are very much prized for their ferociousness. They are big, expensive and owned only by the rich. One even sold for a whopping $2 million back in 2014 (Some sources claim this price is exaggerated and the dog would have fetched a maximum of $250,000).

Just like lions, they have manes. And much unlike lions, they don’t roar. They bark."

The cat, or in this case, the dog, was let out of the bag after it barked, much to the dismay of Liu Wen and her son, who had been visiting. The whole lion-dog plot made it to Sina Weibo (China’s equivalent of Twitter) where posters mocked the zookeepers.





A very rare White Tibetan mastiff. White Tibetan mastiffs are also called “Snow Lions.”

The privately-run zoo called the “People’s Park of Luohe” in Henan province, China, saved face by saying the real lion had been taken to a breeding facility and had only been replaced by the dog, which was friends with the lion and had been brought over for “safety reasons.”

The wolf’s cage was also occupied by another dog which according to zookeepers, had been placed there to mate with the wolf (which was absent) to make a wolf-dog hybrid. The leopard’s cage was also occupied by some foxes and some rats could be seen running around an empty glass cage meant for snakes.

Prior to this incident, many Chinese zoos had seen their finances drain after the government placed a ban on the running of zoos for profit and the use of animals for shows. People’s park zoo was only allowed to operate because its contract to run the zoo was yet to expire.

*Tibetan mastiff have been facing dwindling popularity in China. Their owners have been dumping them due to economic reasons, rising cases of attacks on humans (by the dogs) and the actions of unfaithful sellers who breed the dogs with other dog species and pass them off as purebreds. Most abandoned Tibetan mastiffs end up in the streets or in slaughter houses where they are sold for as low as $5. After slaughter, they are used to make food ingredients, hand gloves and leather.

Today, Tibetan mastiffs dogs which used to sell for around $250,000 can be gotten for as low as $2,000.

Source: Factshood

Space taken to prevent first to comment.

mehn, that thing na beast not a dog.

F

This story is two years old. I'm sure the fake blogger was desperate for stories.

charix:
This story is two years old. I'm sure the fake blogger was desperate for stories.

it is quoted in the article that this happened in 2013, so what exactly is your point?

Mobsync:


it is quoted in the article that this happened in 2013, so what exactly is your point?

That you're disturbing me(in 2015) and others with the same news from 2013 we saw a day after it happened.

the op must be a clone of that animal too but unlike them he neighs

nigeriancuban:
the op must be a clone of that animal too but unlike them he neighs

Maybe the op's a horse. lol.

charix:

That you're disturbing me(in 2015) and others with the same news from 2013 we saw a day after it happened.

Read this one then: http://factshood.com/the-english-alphabet-used-to-have-a-27th-letter/

And don't tell me you were informed a day after it happened.

Mobsync:

Read this one then: http://factshood.com/the-english-alphabet-used-to-have-a-27th-letter/

And don't tell me you were informed a day after it happened.

http://nowiknow.com/and-the-27th-letter-of-the-alphabet/

http://www.nowiknow.com:
September 15, 2011

Actually, four years ago. You've three more lifelines. Try again.