Fake tiger photo-taker disappears

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-27  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

OFFICIALS have declined to comment on a rumor the farmer who produced pictures of an endangered South China tiger, which many believed were faked, was detained for investigation.

In a report in yesterday's Beijing News, farmer Zhou Zhenglong, who previously insisted he risked his life to take the photos of a real tiger in the forest at his hometown of Zhenping, in Shaanxi Province, confessed he faked the images based on real tiger pictures. The newspaper said the provincial public security department sent a task force to investigate the saga a month ago and Zhou was taken away by local police officers two weeks ago. Local forestry officials and Zhou's neighbors were also questioned.

However, government officials from the forestry and public security departments in Shaanxi told Xinhua they neither heard about the investigation nor knew of Zhou's whereabouts.

"I have no idea about Zhou's detention," said Chen Kang, an official with the public security bureau of Zhenping County. "If the superior office conducts such an investigation, we should be informed."

In six visits to his home between June 14 to 18, a Xinhua reporter did not see Zhou. His neighbor Yang Shaozhong said the last time he saw Zhou was on May 8. Zhou's wife, Luo Dacui, said her husband had disappeared for half a month and confirmed yesterday he had not returned home. Wu Ping, the county government chief, and Qin Dapeng, the county's forestry administration head, both refused to comment over the investigation.

The tiger photos, first published on October 12, were used by the provincial forestry department as proof the rare tiger still existed in the wild. The department awarded Zhou a 20,000 yuan (US$2,914) reward.

The South China tiger, also called the "Amoy" or "Xiamen tiger," is widely believed to be extinct in the wild. It is thought to be the ancestor of all tigers, according to the World Wildlife Fund.