This photo, supposed to prove that the rare South China Tiger's still exists, was published by Chinese authorities last October. While web users immediately recognised that the image was a cut and paste affair, it took officials eight months to admit to their mistake.

The photo was taken by a farmer, Zhou Zhenglong, in the central province of Shaanxi. On 12 October it was presented by the authorities as undeniable evidence that the South China Tiger was still in existence, while the farmer who captured the proof was gleefully rewarded with €1,900 for his discovery. Numerous cynical web users, however, were quick to point out that the image had been faked with the help of IT software. According to them, local authorities - who were trying to revive tourism in the area - were more than happy to use the photos.

At the beginning of the year a Happy New Year poster appeared featuring a tiger identical to Zhou's but in different surroundings. The bizarrely reminiscent image encouraged the public to inquire about the authenticity of the original photo. However, it still took Shaanxi authorities until June to announce, rather solemnly, that the image had indeed been faked.

The farmer was arrested for fraud and 13 officials involved in the affair were removed from their posts. This is not the only affair of its kind. In February, a photojournalist working for a local daily admitted to having faked images of antelopes in Tibet.