Zoo rumbled after trying to replace wolf with Rottweiler dog as it’s ‘cheaper’

A zoo has admitted trying to pass off a dog as a wolf.

The Xiangwushan Zoo, in China, needed a replacement after its wolf died.

Bosses decided it was cheaper to use a Rottweiler instead of getting a new one.

They argued as the dog is a close relative of the wolf, visitors to the attraction in Xianning, in the province of Hubei, would not complain.

But customers were not fooled and quickly spotted the pet in the cage.

One filmed the locked up animal in a cage.

A red sign was pictured on the wall in one corner which read: “The wolf is here.”

According to the man who shot the video, identified by his last name Xu, the zoo ticket costs only 15 yuan (£1.66).

Visitors are told they will see tigers, lions and other animals including a wolf.

Zoo managers confirmed there had been a wolf before, but it had died due to old age.

They claimed the cage was empty afterwards and there was no place for the dog.

The cage became its new home as a legitimate heir to the wolf and being closely related, they argued.

The local forestry bureau said that it will conduct an inspection.

The video was posted on the Chinese social network Baidu where it attracted attention.

One user said: “At least find a husky, it would be more convincing.”

Another commented: “Have people in the city never seen a dog?”

While one wrote: “I suspect that the giant panda in the zoo was performed by humans.”

Back in 2013, another Chinese zoo in Henan province was accused of pretending a Tibetan mastiff dog was an African lion.

The fraud unravelled when the pooch started barking.

Visitors accused the park of trying to “cheat” them.

And in 2018, a zoo in Egypt was accused of painting stripes on a donkey to look like a zebra.

Cairo’s International Garden municipal park denied it had tried to disguise the creature after photos emerged on social media.

But photos showed it had pointy ears and was much smaller than a zebra, while it had black smudges on its face.