Originally published August 18 2013
Everything's fake: China zoo 'lion' turns out to be Tibetan mastiff dog wearing a disguise
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Much of what passes for real in China is phony, especially when it comes to so-called "all natural" and "organic" products, as our Health Ranger, Mike Adams, will tell you. But the Chinese don't limit themselves merely to fake herbs and wellness products.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to fake a species.
The lion that...barked
Breitbart News reported Aug. 15 that a zoo in the People's Park of Luohe, in the central province of Henan, dressed up a dog to pass off as a lion. No, you just can't make this stuff up.
According to the report, that wasn't the only spoof: The zoo replaced several "exotic exhibits with common species," Breitbart reported.
The state-run (all Chinese media are "state-run") Beijing Youth Daily further reported that the scam was unearthed by zoo-goers. The Daily quoted one zoo customer who said she wanted to show her son what kind of sounds different animals made, but he noted that the animal in a cage labeled "African lion" was - barking.
That's because the animal in the cage was a dog - a Tibetan mastiff, which is a very large, long-haired breed.
"The zoo is absolutely cheating us," the paper quoted the customer, surnamed Liu, who was charged 15 yuan ($2.45) for the ticket, as saying. "They are trying to disguise the dogs as lions."
The Youth Daily went on to report that at least three other species were housed and labeled incorrectly; two coypu rodents were in a snake's cage; a white fox had been placed in a leopard's den; and there was another dog in a wolf pen (as least this latter "mistake" was closer to accuracy in terms of species).
Per Breitbart News:
The chief of the park's animal department, Liu Suya, told the paper that while it does have a lion, it had been taken to a breeding facility and the dog -- which belonged to an employee -- had been temporarily housed in the zoo over safety concerns.
Sure.
On China's Twitter-like social media site, Sina Weibo, the zoo was mocked - heavily.
"This is not funny at all. It's sad for both the zoo and the animals," said one post.
"They should at least use a husky to pretend to be a wolf," said another.
A country of fakes?
Here are more examples of Chinese chicanery:
-- As China's economy continues to boom, so too does the amount of fake goods. For instance, reports The New York Times June 9:
Liquor stores, restaurants and supermarkets in China, the world's most populous nation and one of the biggest wine consumers, wage a constant battle against fake wines. The number of knockoffs on the market may increase as Beijing investigates wine imports from the European Union, threatening anti-dumping tariffs or import curbs.
The kind of wines faked the most? Expensive wines.
-- In addition to falsifying products, China has a habit of falsifying people as well.
Per the Washington Post, which reported Aug. 16:
He had the swagger and the trappings of a senior party cadre, and a natural authority that made him hard to contradict. The walls of his office in the heart of the Chinese capital were adorned with photographs of him next to retired generals and government officials. He drove a top-of-the-range Audi and a Mercedes-Benz, and, in his fifties, had an 18-year-old mistress.
But Li Guangnian was not quite as he seemed. ... Li was just another copy: a fake official with a fake organization peddling a false promise - of credibility and contacts, according to people who worked with and encountered him.
-- China even has a penchant for faking entire cultures. For instance, there is even a carbon copy of the Italian city of Venice, complete with row housing and water channel.
Sources:
http://www.breitbart.com
http://www.nytimes.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com
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