It is now confirmed that the controversial tiger photograph taken by a farmer is fake. The confirmation that came yesterday not only is a reward to the persistence of those questioning the photo's authenticity, but also unmasks a fraud that played with the feelings of all Chinese nationwide.

While the credit goes to the scientist, who first questioned the authenticity of the photo when it was published in October last year, and also to the postgraduate who sued farmer photographer Zhou Zhenglong for fooling the nation with fake photos, the fact that it took eight months for the truth of such a scandal to be uncovered leaves enough food for thought.

When one person after another gave their reasons for challenging the authenticity of the fake photos, the local forestry authorities in Shaanxi province, where the photos were taken, helped pull the wool over the eyes of the public by claiming them as real ones on the basis of an assessment they had organized.

When calls were made to the State Forestry Administration (SFA) for higher-level checks of the photos by experts, the foot-dragging was obvious even after an on-the-spot investigation by experts SFA had sent found no traces of south China tiger in Zhenping county of Shaanxi.

The 20,000 yuan ($2,941) rewarded to Zhou for the photos spoke volumes for the immediate economic benefits for choreographing such a hoax and the fame the photos have brought to him was a much greater intangible asset. For local forestry authorities, the supposed discovery of the wild south China tiger, believed to have been extinct, meant State investment in a nature reserve for the protection and research of this species of tiger.

Tempted by possible benefits, those local officials who chose to believe the photographs as genuine had never questioned their own conscience even against the spate of questions about their authenticity. It serves them right that, according to an announcement yesterday, 13 of them were either demoted or even dismissed from their positions.

The ambiguity by SFA showed its reluctance to take due responsibility and its lack of courage to compel its subordinate Shaanxi forestry authorities to conduct serious investigations or organize an assessment on its own. This case should serve as a reminder to SFA as to what it should do the next time it deals with similar cases.

What is encouraging and inspiring in this case is the persistence by scholars, experts and even ordinary people in unearthing the exact truth about the photographs.

(China Daily June 30, 2008)