The South China Tiger was believed extinct in the wild for the past 20 years, but a digital picture recently taken by a local farmer in northwest China's Shaanxi Province supposedly shows the animal has survived. The photos have sparked heated Internet controversy over authenticity, but government officials and experts suggest that the country should take this opportunity to draw up overall protection plans and establish nature reserves for wild tigers.

Big stir caused by little picture

The digital picture, purporting to be a wild tiger crouching in green bushes, was released by the Shaanxi provincial forestry department at a news conference on October 12.

Zhou Zhenglong, 52, a farmer and hunter in Chengguan Township of Zhenping County, took 71 photographs of the "tiger" with a digital camera on the afternoon of October 3, a department spokesman told a news conference.

The next morning, a post on an online forum first voiced strong suspicion about its authenticity, Xinhua News Agency reported, and it has since sparked heated Internet debate.

Some contributors argued that the picture was real, but that the animal was not a real South China Tiger, adding that "it was likely a photograph taken of another photo." Others concluded that, "the photo itself was a hoax because the size of the tiger and the leaves nearby are not in proper proportion."

Some critics explained a tiger needs about 20 square kilometers of habitat for its survival. Zhenping County has a tiger reserve zone of up to 140 square kilometers, so even if the tigers did exist there, it could only be a small community.

Tigers are solitary animals not easily spotted by humans, so it would have been extraordinary for Mr. Zhou to spot and photograph the tiger for two days in a row, they claimed.

They also pointed out that tigers are very vigilant animals. When they see strange animals, their first reaction would be to press themselves flat to the ground and prepare to attack or escape; however, Zhou's photos did not show the tiger in such a position.

Local government response

The Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Department was shocked by the unexpected controversy the photos ignited, Xinhua reported. The issue became even more enigmatic following some self-contradictive explanations offered by Zhou.

He acknowledged he only gave two digital pictures to the forestry department, and that these were not "the clearest ones."

Zhou was given 20,000 yuan (US$2,666) as a reward for finding the tiger by the Shaanxi forestry authorities. But Zhou, believing there was a chance for further rewards from the authorities, refused to show his original photos to reporters or anyone else.

A Shaanxi forestry official defended the authenticity of the picture. "Zhou Zhenglong risked his life in taking these photos, so they are very precious. We were cautious and responsible in releasing them," said Zhu Julong, deputy head of the provincial forestry department.

Zhu said Zhou is not a professional photographer and took the photos in great panic because he was close to the tiger. As a result, many were blurred.

Meanwhile, Sun Chengqian, Deputy Director of the department, declared: "The photos were proved genuine by experts on wildlife and photography we have organized to scrutinize them," and Guan Ke, an official with the department's information office, said he believed the photos were genuine based on his many years of experience shooting wildlife in the province.