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Before the smoke and dust surrounding the South China tiger photos taken in Shaanxi province settled, someone claimed to have successfully photographed the big cat - widely believed to be extinct in China - in Hunan province. This time, unlike the still images from Shaanxi, it was a 20-second video clip with a very mobile animal. Shortly afterwards, the local authorities, after an investigation, revealed that the whole thing was a hoax. It turned out that a television reporter had conspired with a circus manager to execute the better-than-Shaanxi idea. The circus has a Northeastern tiger. The two moved it to a patch of woods where they shot the clip. You have to admit that it was a giant leap up in the echelon of make-believe from the previous poster blowup - at least that's what most people believe it to be. And unlike the Shaanxi authorities whose investigations are still on, the Hunan leaders were decisive. Yes, it was a fake even though this one involved a genuine tiger. But there are similarities as well. In both cases, some local experts were quick to confirm the authenticity of the tiger! The most brilliant bon mot came up during the investigation. A developer of local tourism who was found to have masterminded the ruse, nonchalantly justified the hoax. He told reporters that tourism is all about make-believe. "Now that you guys have killed the tiger concept, we'll have to create new ones, maybe the South China leopard." | 
