The controversy over the authenticity of photographs of the believed to be "extinct wild South China tiger" has become more dramatic after one of them was published by US-based Science magazine on Friday.

With some scientists and an increasing number of netizens believing the photographs are fakes, the photographer in question seems to be caught in the jaws of the tiger. Was it a hoax for financial gain? The Shaanxi forestry authorities say the photographs are genuine as confirmed by local experts they hired to examine them.

The State Forestry Administration (SFA) has displayed an ambiguity by claiming "whether the photos are real or not does not necessarily illustrate the current situation of the wild South China tigers".