Zhou Zhenglong, 52, a farmer and former hunter in Chengguan Township of Shaanxi's Zhenping County, was reported to have taken 71 (40 digital and 31 film) pictures on a rare wild South China Tiger on 2/3 Oct. 2007 (a date even himself got confused. link ). Those pictures have been confirmed genuine and the film has kept in the State Forestry Administration, but the genuinity of that "rare wild South China tiger" was suspected by many, including a scientist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
From Times Online
Fu Dezhi, a botanist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, voiced doubts about the vegetation in the photograph, saying that it would be unusual to find a leaf of a size similar to the one that obscured much of the tiger’s head. “I have never discussed whether this is a real tiger because that issue is not my specialty,” he wrote in a blog. “But based on my botanical expertise . . . this is just a ‘paper tiger’.”
Mr Zhou and provincial authorities travelled to Beijing last week for meetings at the state forestry administration.
Officials declined to comment on whether they had reached a decision on the authenticity of the photograph.
Mr Zhou told The Times: “I spent more than a month in the mountains to take these pictures. They are 100 per cent real. No matter who says they are fake, they cannot change the facts.” He said that he planned to set out again into the mountains. “I can’t promise to take more pictures, but there’s hope. The wild tigers are in the mountains.”
From Xinhua
[...] But dozens of netizens expressed doubts about the authenticity of the digital picture -- the only one of the 71 taken to be released at the news conference -- after it had been posted on the Internet, especially in on-line forums discussing Photoshop (PS) technologies.
Netizens suspected that the picture had been processed with PS technologies before release, citing the irregular effects of illumination and focus, and the unreal fur color of the tiger.
Some doubted whether the tiger is a wild one because its eyes look mild and dull, not frightening.
While others said that the tiger's skin and hair seem too shiny, without three-dimensional effect, and speculated that the digital picture might be taken from another picture featuring a South China tiger, or even that a tiger picture was enlarged, made into cardboard cut-out and placed in bushes before being photographed.
But Mr. Zhou has viciously denied the tiger is a paper tiger and the local officials also heavily defended him:
The owner of the disputed photo, Zhou, from Wencai Village in Chengguan Township, was angered by the suspicious remarks.
"It's beyond doubt that I really took the photos of a South China tiger. If they (netizens) have doubts about the photo provided by the forestry department, they can go and ask the officials," he said.
"Zhou Zhenglong risked his life in taking these photos, so they are very precious. We are being cautious and responsible in releasing one of the photos," said Zhu Julong, deputy head of the Provincial Forestry Department.
What's the real interest behind 'this rare South China Tiger'?
"We will take this opportunity to draw up an overall protection plan and apply for establishing a nature reserve for the South China tiger in areas around the mountain [to attract more investment and tourists to the area?]." Zhu said.
If interested, click here to see more Zhou Zhenglong's (un)authentic wild South China tiger.
Click here to read a Google Translation on how contradictory Zhou Zhenglong's claims.
Update: Some a Chinese netizen in Sichuan Province claimed Zhou Zhenlong's extinct South China Tiger is same as a calender tigher hanged on his wall.
The controversy over the authenticity of photographs of the believed-to-be-extinct wild South China tiger seemed to have come to an end on Friday when a netizen posted online what he claimed was a "convincing proof" that the pictures are fakes - a New Year picture of a tiger that hangs on the wall of his home.
The man, named "panzhihua-xydz", said: "It's the same picture. Even the stripes are identical".
