Overview
- Video from Qingyun Mountain Folk Custom Amusement Park in Anqiu circulated online and went viral after users noticed crude black stripes painted on a donkey, with three outlets reporting the footage on June 19.
- Park staff defended the act as 'cosplay' and said they never labeled the animal a zebra, calling the makeover a joke meant to amuse visitors.
- Visitors and viewers exposed the ruse by pointing to the donkey’s long ears, color and the presence of other donkeys in the same enclosure.
- Animal-welfare groups including PETA warn that painting or restraining animals can cause stress and potential chemical harm even if parks say they use non‑toxic dyes.
- The incident follows a pattern of similar promotional stunts in China and elsewhere where animals were dyed or groomed to resemble exotic species and no formal regulatory action has been reported so far.