The South China Tiger Photographs
A farmer's photos of a tiger thought extinct in the wild were celebrated by officials, until people online found the tiger on a calendar.
What was reported
The South China tiger hasn't been confirmed in the wild for decades. In October 2007, officials in Shaanxi province announced that a local farmer, Zhou Zhenglong, had photographed one in the hills of Zhenping County, and he was given a reward.
Internet users quickly questioned the photos. In November, a man noticed that the tiger looked identical to one on a New Year poster printed years earlier.
Explanations offered
In 2008 the provincial authorities confirmed the photos had been faked using a paper tiger cut from the poster. Zhou was convicted of fraud, and several officials were disciplined. The South China tiger is now thought to survive only in zoos.
- When
- October 2007
- Where
- Zhenping County, Shaanxi, China
- Witnesses
- Zhou Zhenglong, a farmer, and internet sleuths
- Status
- Hoax
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.