A zoo in Cairo, Egypt, has denied accusations it painted a donkey with black stripes to pass it off as a zebra after a curious observer posted a photo of the animal online.
Mahmoud Sarhan was visiting Cairo's International Garden park on Monday when he wondered over to the zebra pen.
After noticing one of the 'zebras' in the pen had an unusual black smudge on its face he posted a photo of himself with the animal on Facebook.
The photo soon gained the attention of critics who started to notice the animal's small size and pointy ears. It also had black smudges on its face.
Local veterinarians weighed in on the debate with mixed opinions. One vet said that a zebra's snout is black, while its stripes are more parallel, according to the BBC.
Mahmoud Sarhan visited the Cairo International Park. Source: Facebook: Mahmoud A Sarhan
The director of Cairo International Garden Mohamed Sultan denied the accusations.
This isn't the first time a zoo has gone to extreme lengths to pass off one animal as another.
In 2009, a zoo in Gaza painted two donkeys with black stripes to circumvent an Israeli restriction on the importation of animals.
To avoid the exorbitant costs of bringing in the zebras via smuggling tunnels the owner admitted to painting the animal for his Zoo in Gaza City, according to Reuters.
