Zhou Zhenglong, the farmer convicted of faking a photo of the endangered South China tiger, is appealing his case.

A letter with Zhou's decision was transferred from Xuyang detention center, where Zhou is kept, to Xuyang People's Court on Wednesday, reported The Beijing News.

Wang Xiaogang, chief of the general office of Xuyang People's Court, confirmed the information.

Zhou is currently serving two and a half years in prison. The court also fined him 2,000 yuan (293 U.S. dollars) after convicting him of fraud Sept. 27.

The 54-year-old staged pictures of a wild South China tiger in order to collect 100,000 yuan in prize money. The tiger is a subspecies that has not been seen in the country for years.

Luo Dacui, Zhou's wife and Gu Yushu, his defense lawyer, said Zhou will appeal his fraud conviction.

"Members on the collegiate bench have gone to Xi'an on a business trip, so the detailed procedures for Zhou's appeal, including a date for retrial, could not be determined until the members return," said Wang. "Zhou is entitled to the right to appeal if he wants and the court won't deprive him of that right."

Gu complained that he has not been allowed to see his client, saying Wang refused his request to read Zhou's appeal.

According to court documents, Zhou shot 62 photos of a tiger from a poster which he put amid foliage on Oct. 3, 2007..

The provincial forestry department announced the news to the public on Oct.12 and rewarded Zhou with 20,000 yuan.

His defense attorneys believe bad publicity from the case should not be blamed on Zhou himself, saying the "cursory releasing of the news by relevant departments" helped spread the scam.

Along with Zhou's punishment, thirteen government staff in Shaanxi were sacked or reprimanded as a result of the case.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2008)