Lion with 'mullet' at China zoo draws Joe Exotic comparisons: 'Channeling feline enthusiast'
Hang Hang the lion’s blunt, droopy mane gets compared to Joe Exotic’s mullet, while Guangzhou Zoo denies involvement
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A lion in China has gone viral for his droopy mane.
Hang Hang, a male lion at the Guangzhou Zoo, has a mane that many have compared to a mullet or bowl cut – two hairstyles that have blunt bangs.
Social media users got a look at Hang Hang’s unique coiffure which was shared in a tweet by Lijian Zhao, the deputy director of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department.
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"A white lion in #Guangzhou Zoo has a cute hair style," Zhao wrote on Tuesday, May 31.
He uploaded three photos of Hang Hang which show the animal’s mane being short in front, with long sides and back.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the U.S., some social media users have expressed that they think Hang Hang’s mane looks similar to Joe Exotic’s blond mullet.
Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, was heavily featured in Netflix’s documentary "Tiger King" (2020), which shed light on big cat breeding and the exotic animal industry.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Before he received convictions for violating the endangered species act, falsifying wildlife records and murder-for-hire, Exotic owned and displayed 1,200 lions, tigers and bears at his former G.W. Zoo in Oklahoma.
Joe 'Exotic' Maldonado-Passage (Santa Rosa County Jail via AP)
The convicted zoo owner’s signature mullet stands out among his fans and critics.
"Why they gave that lion the Joe Exotic?!" one Twitter user posted on Tuesday in reference to Hang Hang's cut.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Looks like one of Joe Exotic’s lions made it to China!" another user quipped.
"Channeling feline enthusiast Joe Exotic with a 90s-era mullet, a lion at a Chinese zoo," another user joked.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital reached out to the Guangzhou Zoo for comment.
Staff at the zoo have reportedly told People’s Daily, China (PDC) – a state-controlled news outlet – that the lion’s mane hasn’t been cut and naturally grows with a blunt bang. A zoo spokesperson theorized that Hang Hang’s mane could look more prominent due to the south China province’s humidity.
Guangzhou’s average annual humidity is around 79%, according to climate and weather data from Statista.
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"There is no hairdressing program at the zoo, and we dare not cut a lion's hair," an unnamed staff member told PDC. "You can say that he has 'designed' the hairstyle himself."
Male lions grow manes, which are defined as long sections of hair that grow on an animal's neck. Female lions (AKA lionesses) don't grow manes. (iStock)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Researchers believe male lions grow manes to signal physical fitness, which is helpful when male lions search for mating partners, according to the College of Biological Sciences.