Is the Javan tiger back from extinction? New study ignites controversy.

Recently, the authors of a new study, published March 21 in the journal Oryx, appeared to confirm the creature's continued existence, after analyzing a single strand of hair retrieved from a plantation in West Java.

Luo Shu-Jin, an evolutionary geneticist at Peking University in China, told Live Science that her team reanalyzed the DNA sequence data presented in the study and found errors and potential sample contamination.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal(WSJ) last week, he said he couldn't confirm whether the hair came from a tiger based on the study's data.

The new research began after Javan resident and conservationist Ripi Yanur Fajar reported seeing a big cat jump between a road and a plantation near the village of Cipeundeuy in the forest of South Sukabumi in August 2019.

Researchers visited the site nine days after the alleged sighting and found a hair on a nearby fence, along with potential tiger footprints and claw marks.

"We read the article with great excitement, which was, quickly and sadly, replaced by concerns about the credibility of data, and hence, the reliability of the conclusion," Luo said.