You Really Couldn't Make It Up!.

[algy]

A Chinese zoo's supposed "African lion" was exposed as a fraud when the dog used as a substitute started barking. A Tibetan mastiff is pictured in China, March 2013 (AFP)

The zoo in the People's Park of Luohe, in the central province of Henan, replaced exotic exhibits with common species, according to the state-run Beijing Youth Daily.

It quoted a customer surnamed Liu who wanted to show her son the different sounds animals made -- but he pointed out that the animal in the cage labelled "African lion" was barking.

The beast was in fact a Tibetan mastiff -- a large and long-haired breed of dog.

"The zoo is absolutely cheating us," the paper quoted Liu, who was charged 15 yuan  (£1.54p) for the ticket, as saying. "They are trying to disguise the dogs as lions."

Three other species housed incorrectly included two coypu rodents in a snake's cage, a white fox in a leopard's den, and another dog in a wolf pen.

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.

 

[Dizzy]

   

 

... but then again what do the expect for £1.54

[Bazj]

sounds like a bit of a shaggy dog story to me!

[Evil Sid]

sounds like a joke i heard years ago about the student who takes a job as a monkey in a zoo after the old monkey dies. second day on the job he falls into the lion enclosure. the lion rushes over and the students starts shouting help help, at this the lion pins him to the floor and whispers, keep quiet you fool or we will both get the sack