A zoo in Cairo, Egypt, has been accused of trying to fool visitors by painting zebra stripes onto a donkey — but the zoo director insists the animal is a real zebra.

Mahmoud Sarhan, 18, whose hometown is Cairo, was visiting the new animal sanctuary at the International Garden municipal park when said he suddenly spotted a strange-looking animal, Fox8 and other outlets reported.

While zebras and donkeys are both in the horse family, several things about the animal made Sarhan suspicious: Black paint had melted on the animal’s face, for one thing, and the ears weren’t the right size for a zebra’s, he said.

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He posted a picture of the poor animal on his Facebook page — and it quickly went viral.

In the photo, Sarhan is standing next to the “zebra,” looking skeptical.

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He wrote in Arabic: “The stupidity has reached [such heights] in the country that they brought a local donkey and painted it to look like a zebra.”

#FoxNews مين شبابه هيضيع و هيروح في داهية ناو??? Posted by Mahmoud A. Sarhan on Thursday, July 26, 2018

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The director of Gardens Project in Cairo has denied reports that it tried to pass off the donkey as a zebra.

“The zebra is real and not painted,” Mohammed Sultan told Egypt’s Youm 7 news channel, also saying the animals are well taken care of and are inspected regularly to ensure their health.

“No reputable animal care facility would subject a skittish animal like a donkey to the stress of being restrained and sprayed with chemicals like paint, which could cause a painful allergic reaction,” PETA Foundation Vice President Delcianna Winders told CNN in a statement, after that organization reviewed photos of the animal.

“PETA hopes that Cairo authorities are fully investigating this matter.”



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This isn’t the first fakery a zoo has engaged in: Back in 2013, a zoo in China angered guests by trying to pass off a hairy dog as a lion.

The tip-off? The “lion” barked.