Tiger photos faked

According to Reuters, China has sacked a number of government officials and arrested a man in connection with a set of fake photographs.

In October, forestry officials in Zhenping county in northern Shaanxi province published photos of a tiger in a forest setting, saying they were proof of the existence of the South China tiger.

A local farmer who produced the photos was paid a 20,000 yuan reward.

Nine months later, officials admitted the photos were faked, Chinese media said, citing sources at a press conference held by the Shaanxi province government.

Thirteen local officials, including Zhu Julong, deputy head of the province's forestry bureau, and its top wildlife official Wang Wanyun, were sacked.

Zhou Zhenglong, the farmer who claimed to have taken the photo using a digital camera, was arrested on suspicion of fraud, Xinhua said, after police seized a picture of a tiger to produce the photos.