Can you spot what's wrong with this 'zebra'?

A zoo animal in Egypt appears to have given the idiom ‘to earn one’s stripes’ a brand new meaning.

Cairo’s International Garden municipal park has moved to deny allegations they painted black stripes on a white donkey after suspicious images emerged online of the animal in question.

Student Mahmoud Sarhan visited the attraction last week and accused the zoo of malpractice after noticing the ‘zebra’ appeared smaller than normal with larger, pointier ears.

The image, showing the animal with smudges on its face, attracted attention online before experts gave their view on its species.

A local vet told Egyptian news site Extranews.tv that zebras snouts are in fact black and their stripes are more aligned.

Mr Sarhan said the enclosure was home to two animals, both which he says were painted.

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The zoo denied the allegations, with the zoo’s director, Mohamed Sultan, insisting the zebras were not fakes.

It’s not the first time a zoo has been accused of using fake animals in a bid to draw in crowds after a Chinese zoo brought in questionable penguins last year.