The Zhou Tiger: Faking Wildlife In China
IN China the big news is the “Zhou Tiger”, named in honour of Zhou Zhenglong, a villager in Shaanxi who claimed to have taken 71 photographs of the almost extinct South China tiger.
He received 20,000 yuan from the local forestry department for his “discovery”. Zhou also photographed a tiger’s footprint.
Who dares say China is an enemy to wildlife? The state-owned news and propaganda agency Xinhua lapped up the discovery.
The Forestry Department of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province released one image.
Experts confirmed in the news that the 40 digital pictures and 31 film photographs were genuine. But others were less certain, especially Chinese bloggers who took issue with the pictures. Can the Chinese netizens believe those fficial pronouncements?
There would be an investigation. Yesterday, the Shaanxi province government called a press conference to release the results of the probe. The investigation officially confirmed the public suspicion that the photos on the tiger were forged.
Zhou Zhenglong is now being held in police custody; 13 government officials, among them two vice directors of the province’s forestry department, have been punished for “negligence” or “inappropriate expression of opinions”. Six of them have been dismissed from their positions.
Now, anyone seen the fabled Tiananmen Square protestors, alive, skinned or otherwise?
Posted: 30th, June 2008 | In: Photojournalism, Politicians, Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
