CHINESE TIGER

We thought they were saved

An episode from the series EXTINCTIONS / SAVED FROM EXTINCTION

Synopsis

When a Chinese hunter claims to have photographed a South Chinese tiger, a species considered extinct, the media catch fire. The photo makes the front pages of all the newspapers. It's an incredible event. But the truth soon emerges: the man is a fake, a forger.

But how do the last tigers of Asia survive? From the Burmese golden triangle to Vietnam, from Thailand to Java, we try to understand the fatal spiral of hunting and trafficking, livestock farming, and the ambiguous relationship with the preservation of species.

For this episode, the producers went as far as reconstructing the last Bali tiger in 3 dimensions, using skulls, bone elements, and skins scattered throughout Asia. This specimen, unique in the world, now stands in a museum.