Zoo: What Do You Mean That’s a Giant Panda and a Panda Dog?

A zoo with a reputation for housing every species imaginable draws curious visitors from far and wide. When one tourist excitedly asks to see the giant pandas, the keeper, Shang Lu, calmly points to a nearby enclosure. Inside sits a chow chow—its fur crudely splashed with black-and-white dye, tail wagging like any ordinary dog. The tourist blinks in disbelief. That’s not a panda. Shang Lu corrects him with utter seriousness: here, it is called a panda dog. As if on cue, the creature lets out a cheerful "Woof!" This is just another day at a zoo where nothing is quite what it claims to be, and the line between species is painted on with a brush and a straight face.