Some household animals such as cats and dogs have been subjected to a modification of their appearance for reasons including beauty pageants and much more.
However, who would’ve thought that wild and dangerous animals such as lions could also be subjected to an alteration?
A white lion in China’s Guangzhou zoo recently went viral after it was spotted with unusually straight bangs.
On Sunday (29 May), a Weibo user shared a post about the lion and asked if the zookeepers had given it a haircut.
The user posted the images and captioned them, “I’m dying from laughter over the lion from Guangzhou Zoo. Who cut his hair!!!”
Zookeepers deny cutting his mane
Shortly after the Weibo user’s post went viral, it managed to catch the eye of Guangzhou Zoo’s official Weibo account who quickly jumped in on the fun.
The zoo denied that zookeepers had cut his mane and said that it is most likely the high humidity that is causing the lion’s mane to droop.
The zoo then reshared the post and said, “Although I changed my hairstyle, I’m still the most handsome guy there is. Hurry and come see me at the Guangzhou Zoo!”, along with the hashtag #DiscoveringGuangzhouZoo.
The white lion who is named Hang Hang had become the ‘mane attraction’ and has prompted news outlets to interview his caretakers.
His newfound fame has also shed some light on his DNA as Hang Hang is part of the rare white lion subspecies. White lions get their unusual colour from a recessive gene, which can also be found in white tigers.
The majority of them have been put and bred in captivity since the 1970s due to their rarity.
Netizens loved his fresh new look
The post has amassed plenty of attention on Weibo and currently sits on over 66,000 likes and 13,000 shares. Plenty of netizens took to the comments section to comment on Hang Hang’s new look.
“I feel like he can’t even lift his head among his companions“, said one netizen.
Another commented jokingly, “He found that (since) he took care of himself, he is more confident”.
What do you think of Hang Hang’s new look? Let us know in the comments.
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