A donkey in China’s Shandong Province has become an internet sensation after being painted with black stripes to resemble a zebra. Visitors spotted the animal at Qingyun Mountain Folk Custom Amusement Park in Anqiu, Weifang.
Park Says Donkey Was Painted as a Joke for Visitors
The video appeared on social media on June 14. It shows a donkey standing in an enclosure with black stripes painted across its body. From a distance, the animal does look somewhat like a zebra, but the illusion quickly falls apart on closer inspection: the long ears, head shape and other donkeys nearby make the truth obvious.
Social media users joked that it was a “zebra with a donkey face” and a “long-extinct striped donkey.” The story quickly went viral. Some users laughed at the crude attempt to turn an ordinary donkey into an exotic animal, while others criticized the park over its treatment of animals.
After the backlash, park employees said they had not officially tried to pass the donkey off as a zebra. According to them, there was no sign identifying the animal as a zebra, and the paint job was meant as a “joke” and a form of “cosplay” for visitors.
A park representative said the idea was intended to entertain the public. The park reportedly keeps more than 40 species of animals, and similar “costume” makeovers had also been done with several dogs.
But the explanation did not end the debate. On social media, users argued over where harmless entertainment ends and the exploitation of animals for online attention begins. Some commenters called the idea not funny, but cheap and humiliating.
This is not the first case of its kind in China. Earlier, another park in Shandong Province, in the city of Zibo, drew attention after donkeys were also painted to look like zebras. At the time, the administration described it as a marketing stunt and said it had used non-toxic paint.
Similar stories have involved dogs as well. In Chinese parks, animals have been dyed to look like pandas and tigers, prompting visitors to demand explanations and accuse organizers of misleading the public.
In the case of the donkey from Anqiu, the main reason the story went viral was simple: the attempt was too obvious. The stripes were there, but the animal never became a zebra. What it did become was an internet meme that spread far beyond China within days.
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