Zoo slammed after visitors realised ‘pandas’ weren’t what they thought when they started making noise

Visitors have slammed a popular zoo in China after realising staff had put a different species in the panda enclosure to pose as the black and white creatures.

It doesn't take a genius to work out which poor animals were roped into their impersonation plot by employees - but the illusion was only shattered for some guests when they heard the noises they started making.

I suppose, to the untrained eye, the monochrome creatures might vaguely resemble pandas... but it's still pretty unbelievable that the unnamed zoo in Guangyuan thought they could get away with the stunt.

Hilarious shots taken by a disgruntled guest showed one of the so-called pandas soaking up the sun rays and breathing heavily with it's tongue out, while it's pal was seen roaming around in the shade.

And although they look ridiculously cute and appear to be sporting the white coat with sporadic black patches like the animals are supposed to, it's immediately clear that this pair are some kind of panda parody.

The pandas at this Chinese zoo looked pretty suspicious (Asia Wire)

But the realisation only sunk in for visitors when the fluffy balls of fur started barking, as the penny finally dropped that these supposed pandas were actually just painted dogs.

Pandas tend to huff, snort, chomp, bleat, chirp and moan, rather than barking their heads off, you see.

The imposters didn't do bad as impromptu understudies to be fair, but guests at the Chinese zoo are said to have started demanding their money back after discovering they had been duped.

People were promised the opportunity to see a string of 'rare and exotic animals' at the attraction in the northeastern city.

Onlookers told how the animals started barking and panting as they observed them in their enclosure, which made them realise the creatures were in fact canines who'd had a makeover.

Visitors weren't convinced with the painted pooches (Asia Wire)

But the zoo doesn't think it's done anything wrong and insisted that it had not misled visitors, because they didn't actually state that the animals were pandas.

The establishment instead described the twosome as 'panda dogs'.

After being pressed by local media about the panda posers, the zoo then admitted that they had dyed a pair of Chow Chows to resemble the animals.

The dog breed from northern China is well known for it's thick double coat of fur and lion-like mane.

Believe it or not, this isn't the first time something like this has happened.

The Yuanjiashan Zoo in Xichang was previously called out for trying to pass off a Golden Retriever as a lion, while Hangzhou Zoo was accused of sticking a man 'in a bear costume' in an enclosure.