Face match

The Japanese are big fans of panda bears from China. When the two pandas in Tokyo’s Ueno Zoological Gardens were recently returned to China to make them healthy in their natural habitat, many Japanese flocked to the zoo to say goodbye on the day of their departure.

The pandas named Shin Shin and Ri Ri had a large fan base composed of regular visitors that had grown since they arrived at the zoo on loan from China in 2011.

There was a mix of happy and sad feelings for those who grew fond of seeing Shin Shin and Ri Ri at the zoo. They have twin cubs that will stay at the zoo though to continue delighting visitors.

Of course, the Chinese are even fonder of their own national animal. The black and white furred bears at a zoo in southern Guangdong province are also the star attraction despite being different though.

A video showing the cute “pandas” recently posted on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, has gone viral, shared more than 1.4 million times and liked by over 725,000 users, CNN reports.

A photo of the sign on the pandas’ enclosure that was shared by another user on social media, however, revealed the true nature of the popular animals. The sign read: painted dogs.

The zoo’s manager, surnamed Huang, told state-affiliated outlet Sichuan Observation, “These are Chow Chow dogs painted (as pandas), as this is part of our specialties.”