bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Shi Jiangtao

Cynical observers unsatisfied by official response
Shaanxi  authorities may want to put an end to the humiliating 'paper tiger' saga and  stop the embarrassment by pointing the finger at the  man who faked the photos. But will the mainland public, who have waited nine months for an explanation, buy into the belated truth?
The answer, so far, appears negative. Many critics and netizens said they were not satisfied with the  provincial authorities' announcement yesterday.
Zhou Zhenglong , 53, a hunter in mountainous Zhenping county who produced photos purporting to show a South China tiger alive in the wild and who repeatedly insisted they were genuine, has been arrested on fraud charges.
Seven officials were sacked, including Shaanxi forestry department's deputy director Zhu Julong - who pledged to resign should the photos prove to be fake - and six others were subject to disciplinary  action.
Others dismissed from their posts include Sun Chengqian , another forestry department deputy, publicity chief Guan Ke   and Wang Wanyun ,  in charge of wildlife preservation.
They were blamed for failing to expose Zhou's scam and  being too hasty to announce the authenticity of the photos without seeking approval from the provincial government.
The announcement by the Shaanxi government said police seized a borrowed tiger poster as well as a wooden model of a tiger claw, which were allegedly used by Zhou to fabricate tiger photos and footprints.
Netizens and experts found that a South China tiger shown in a  2002 Lunar New Year poster  looked identical to the one in Zhou's photos. But the official announcement yesterday did not explain why it took  so long for authorities to admit Zhou's  was merely a paper tiger.
Although the provincial government admitted its share of responsibility in the controversy and pledged to learn a lesson from it, officials did not offer an apology to the public - which had awaited an official verdict for months.
The provincial forestry authority was forced to apologise  over its hasty release of the unverified photos in February amid intense pressure from the public and higher authorities. But it dodged the public demand for the results of the official investigation into the scandal ordered by the State Forestry Administration.
Critics complained about authorities' sluggish response to public inquiries and questioned the fairness of the government's handling of the scandal.
'A lot of important questions went unanswered in the government's handling of the Tigergate scandal,' said Qiu Feng , a mainland commentator.  'Why did government officials knowingly support the fabrication of tiger photos? What kind of political and legal responsibilities should the governments at all levels take?'
Hao Jingsong , a doctoral law student who has sued Zhou Zhenglong for fraud and called for investigations, said  it was unfair and unconvincing to put most of the blame on Zhou. Many people believe the farmer couldn't  have  faked the photos himself, and that he wasn't  responsible for the prolonged farce.



Embarrassing tiger saga bites back at authorities