An Italian travelling circus has been caught black and white handed after painting two chow chow puppies to resemble pandas, reported The Guardian.
The owner of the circus was targeted for using fabricated documents after the puppies’ ‘pet passports’ were revealed to contain false information.
The dogs have reportedly been imported from Hungary and were described on their documentation as being six months old. However authorities believe they are much younger.
It is alleged by the Italian Forestry Corps that unwitting visitors were regularly paying for photos with the two would-be panda pups.
"Two white furred dog cubs, a male and a female of chow chow breed, were camouflaged as pandas and shown to the public, particularly children, to take photos demanding payment," Italy's state forestry police said.
However as with all ridiculous scams the truth finally caught up with the charlatan circus while it was near the north Italian town of Brescia, when government officers raided the circus accompanied by vets.
The dogs were allowed to stay with their owners on the condition they were no longer used for impersonation.
The owners of the circus have denied the allegations, saying they never claimed the dogs were pandas.
"It's obvious they are dogs," circus secretary, Riccardo Gravina told IBTimes UK.
