China zoo tries to pass off big hairy dog as lion

Behold the regal lion and hear its mighty ... bark?

Reports say a zoo in the central China city of Luohe attempted to pass off a Tibetan mastiff as a lion. The large breed's trademark mane gives it a lion-like appearance, but its vocalizations are far closer to a woof than a roar.

The Beijing Youth Daily said on Friday the zoo also had a dog in the wolf cage, foxes in the leopard enclosure and nutrias in the snake den.

The paper quoted zoo manager Liu Suya as denying any attempt at deception, saying the lion had been lent out for breeding. Liu said the same was true for the leopard, while the snake and wolf were merely sheltering from the torrid summer heat.

Calls to the zoo rang unanswered.