An update in the brouhaha over allegedly faked photos of a South China Tiger. From Xinhua Net, translated by CDT:
On October 12, 2007, our office held a news conference, during which we announced that ‘Zhenping County found wild South China tigers’, and published two photos of a South China tiger shot by Zhou Zhenglong. Later, the public questioned the two published photos, and it soon become a hot social topic.
At the news conference, we did not undergo procedures for higher approval. We did not conduct on-the-spot validation of the South China tiger photograph. In the absence of evidence, we hastily released the significant news of the discovery of the South China tiger. This reflects the problems in our office with a superficial work style and lax discipline.
Under the State Forestry Administration and the provincial government requirements, the commission on the South China tiger photo identification has done a great deal of work. We will continue to push forward. Once we accept the conclusions of the national professional accreditation team, we will truthfully release it to the public.
(Photo: Zhou Zhenglong’s photo of Huanan Tiger)
