An Egyptian zoo appears to have painted black stripes on a donkey to try to pass it off as a zebra.

The animal at Cairo’s International Garden has long pointy ears and a small frame like a donkey.

It also has black stripes across its body but one of the stripes on its face appears to have been smudged.

The case of the 'almost zebra' came to light after Mahmoud Sarhan, an Egyptian student, posted photographs online after a visit to the zoo.

The pictures quickly went viral and animal experts rushed in to point out that the animal looked nothing like a zebra.

As well as the difference in size and ears, zebras have black snouts. The animal in the photograph has a grey snout.

There appeared to be at least two painted animals in the enclosure.