Chinese officials sacked over tiger hoax
Updated
Up to 13 Chinese forestry officials have been sacked over a series of fake photos supposedly showing an endangered South China tiger.
State media reports the photographer behind the fabricated pictures has also been detained on suspicion of fraud.
The local press says the forestry officials wanted to set up a South China tiger natural reserve and the photos were being used as a springboard for their conservation campaign.
But the Shaanxi provincial government has confirmed that the photos of the tiger were fake.
Experts say no more than 20 to 30 of the tigers are believed to remain in the wild, but none have been spotted in decades.
