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.
The department organized a 30-member research team in 2006 that
carried out a search in Zhenping from June last year. It said
villagers had reported 17 sightings of South China Tigers and heard
their roar at least six times, but the claims could not be
confirmed.
They also found footprints, excrement, hair, and teeth during
the survey, which led them to believe the tigers still existed in
the wild.
The forestry department has banned all hunting around the
mountain and ordered checkpoints at the main entrances to the area
to prevent uncontrolled entry and protect the endangered species
and its habitat.
Academic response
"We didn't expect a picture would cause such a big stir," said
Deng Xuejian, a professor from Hunan Normal University. "No matter
true or false, it indeed has drawn people's attention to the
protection of the South China Tiger. We should take this
opportunity to draw up an overall protection plan and apply for
establishing a nature reserve in areas around the mountain."
Xu Taoqing, a researcher with the Shaanxi Provincial Institute
of Animal Studies, said it would be "simply impractical" for Zhou
to bring either a "paper" tiger or a real, domesticated tiger to
the mountain for the purposes of faking a photograph, because it
was a six-hour walk from the county seat of Zhenping.
Huang Gongqing, an expert with the Suzhou South China
Tiger-Breeding Base, said it did not matter whether the photographs
were real or not, adding: "If fewer than 100 of the species
survive, it is basically impossible for them to reproduce." Huang
and his assistants have pioneered the artificial breeding of South
China Tigers. Out of the 57 live tigers in the country's zoos, 30
were born at Suzhou Zoo.
Even though the South China Tiger photo is of questionable
authenticity, the US-based magazine Science still used it
in its latest edition, Xinhua reported on November 9. The magazine
quoted Gary Koehler of Washington State's Department of Fish and
Wildlife as saying that "it's tremendously exciting news, if it can
be substantiated."
But a senior editor with the magazine said the move did not mean
the staff believed the photo was authentic, as they remained
somewhat suspicions. Nevertheless, in the end, the magazine wanted
to express its excitement that the species might be making a
"comeback" and its hope that wild South China Tigers still existed,
according to China Central Television (CCTV).
Fu Dezhi, a scientist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said
he was very worried about Science's publication of the
finding. "It should not make any comment without knowing the full
facts."
Central government response
The State Forestry Administration held a press conference on
November 8, explaining that "the existence of a single tiger does
not necessarily mean there is a tiger community."
Spokesman Cao Qingyao announced that an expert team would be
sent to Shaanxi Province very soon to investigate a 1,000 square
kilometer area. However, Cao did not say if the investigation was
to verify the authenticity of the pictures.
"The Internet debate reflects the fact that more people are
concerned about the environment, such as the living conditions and
health of wild animals," Cao said. "If it were 20 years ago, no one
would care about such a picture of a tiger, or even the tiger
itself."
The administration organized a nationwide investigation in 1999
that discovered traces of living tigers in 48 sites, but could not
establish an exact number. So far, it has set up six nature
reserves to protect South China Tigers.
Cao warned people about setting off on their own tiger hunts,
saying "as some areas are offering rewards for tiger pictures, I
remind you not to disturb their daily life and take the risk of
photographing dangerous animals that can threaten your life."
Wild tigers struggling in China
A "Red List" compiled by the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in 1996 showed
fewer than 6,000 wild tigers still existed in Asia and eastern
Russia, compared with 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century,
according to the People's Daily. All existing sub-species
of tigers are at risk, most notably the South China Tiger.
Statistics from Xinhua show that there were nearly 4,000 South
China Tigers in the 1950s. It is estimated that currently there may
be no more than 30 left in the wild, while there are about 60 in
captivity. Prior to the controversial pictures, no wild South China
Tiger had been spotted since October 1986, even though local people
reported hearing roars, and finding footprints, hair, and
teeth.
Over the past decades, the Chinese government has continuously
strengthened its wildlife protection laws to preserve various
species and improve their care. The Law on the Protection of
Wildlife was adopted in 1988, and articles about punishments for
the poaching and smuggling of wild animals under State protection
were added to the revised Criminal Law in 1996. An overall wildlife
and wild plant protection plan was issued in 2002, stipulating that
wild animal resources are owned by the State and the protection of
South China Tiger was put at the top of the government work
agenda.
The government also gives priority to captive-bred tigers, but
since an increasing number of private enterprises are involving
themselves in domesticating and breeding animals, specific
ownership rules should be spelled out in understandable legal
terms, the Nanjing-based Weekend magazine stressed.
International cooperation is also preserving the rare animal.
Five South China Tigers have been sent to the 33,000-hectare
reserve in South Africa since September 2003 (one died two years
ago). The idea is for the tigers to breed and brush up their
hunting skills in a wild environment before returning to their
native habitat in China.
(China.org.cn by Li Jingrong November 9, 2007)
