Zookeepers in China dress dogs up to look like panda bears

Two dogs dyed black and white to look like pandas playing on the grass

(Image credit: Visual China Group / Getty Images)

published 11 May 2024

Pandering to visitors

Zookeepers in China have admitted they dressed up a number of dogs as pandas because they didn't have any of the bears to put on display. The stand-in chow chow dogs, whose fur was dyed to more closely resemble pandas' black and white markings, were unveiled on 1 May at Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province. The "obvious bamboo-zlement" didn't put off visitors, with the dogs "attracting throngs of people", said the New York Post.

Thames Valley Police received an alarming report that a crocodile was swimming through floodwaters near the Buckinghamshire village of Cholesbury last week, said The Telegraph. Officers were quickly able to apprehend the croc, which turned out to be nothing more than a plastic toy. One policeman was pictured with the croc's head tucked under his arm in a Facebook post that reassured locals the 'creature' was safely stowed at the police station.

Insults like "nitwit", "plonker" and "scallywag" could be at risk of dying out in Britain, according to a new poll. Of the 2,000 people under the age of 28 surveyed by research agency Perspectus Global, 62% were flummoxed by the East Anglian term "lummox", meaning a clumsy or silly person, said Sky News. "Blighter" was unknown by 54% and "ninny" by 51%. "Prat" was also a new insult to one in four people asked, and "toe rag" to more than one in three.

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Julia O'Driscoll is the engagement editor. She covers UK and world news, as well as writing lifestyle and travel features. She regularly appears on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast, and hosted The Week's short-form documentary podcast, “The Overview”. Julia was previously the content and social media editor at sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, where she interviewed prominent voices in sustainable fashion and climate movements. She has a master's in liberal arts from Bristol University, and spent a year studying at Charles University in Prague.