The farmer who was found guilty of faking photographs of an endangered tiger received a lighter sentence as a result of a legal appeal.

Zhou Zhenglong was sentenced on Monday to two and a half years in prison with a three-year reprieve by a court of justice in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Zhou Zhenglong stands second trial on November 17, 2008 in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The Intermediate People's Court of Ankang City also fined Zhou Zhenglong 2,000 yuan (about 292 U.S. dollars) for fraud and illegally owning 93 military bullets.

The court also ordered him to return a 20,000-yuan reward to the provincial forestry department.

The court said Zhou's motive was to swindle the reward from the forestry department and he was clear that individuals were forbidden to own ammunition. But they handed down a lighter sentence because he confessed the criminal facts.

Zhou was initially sentenced on September 27 at the People's Court in Xunyang County. According to the first ruling, the 54-year-old was given two and a half years in prison, a 2,000 yuan fine and was ordered to return a 20,000-yuan reward.

Zhou appealed the ruling on Oct. 8.

Zhou, a native of Zhenping County in Shaanxi, faked pictures of a South China tiger last year. It is a subspecies that is believed extinct in the wild in China.