A local student went to the zoo, and was surprised when he took a closer look at the enclosure for the zebras.

Mahmoud Sarhan was motivated to post what he saw on Facebook, with a photo that appears to support his assertion: the two zebras at the Cairo International Garden municipal park are nothing more than donkeys with black stripes painted on.

The photo eventually went viral, prompting a variety of people to weigh in on the authenticity of the zebras (or the lack thereof). A local news team contacted a veterinarian, who claimed that zebra snouts are usually black, and their stripes are more consistent and uniform compared to the striping on the animal in the photo, which also sported black smudging around the face.

The zoo's director, Mohamed Sultan, insisted during a radio interview that the zebras were, in fact, real. Similar accusations of donkey-painting were lobbed at a zoo in Gaza in 2009, which blamed their problem on an Israeli blockade that prevented it from purchasing actual zebras. Though similar in physical form, zebras and donkeys are distinctly different species.

Potential Preaching Angles: We cannot change reality by employing deception or changing our appearance. God cares less about our outward appearance than our inward commitment to truth, grace, and holiness.