Beijing, Dec 30 (IANS): A man sentenced to 13 years in jail for purchasing and eating three tigers had his sentence upheld by a court in China's southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The man, surnamed Xu, ordered 14 people to deliver the dismembered body of a tiger to his hotel in Nanning, capital of Guangxi, Xinhua reported citing Qinzhou City Intermediate People's Court which oversaw Xu's second trial.

He then treated his friends to a meal of tiger meat.

Investigations revealed that Xu witnessed the tiger's death by electric shock in Longmen township, Leizhou city, in Guangdong province March 13, 2013.

Two other tigers were killed in the same way April 21 and May 20, 2013, with Xu buying the flesh, bones, internal organs and blood at the scene.

He told the police he had bought the tigers for 440,000 yuan ($70,957) each. The origins of the tigers are unknown but they are suspected to have been smuggled into the country.

He was arrested after police found a video recording of Xu witnessing the first tiger's death. At his home, police found animal skeletons and meat, which were later confirmed to be those of a giant gecko and cobra, both endangered animals under government protection in China.

On April 30, the Qinbei District People's Court sentenced Xu to 13 years in jail for illegally transporting precious and endangered animals, levying a 1.55 million yuan penalty for the first instance. The other 14 who participated in the transport of the tiger's body received jail terms ranging from five to six-and-a-half years.

On Monday, the Qinzhou City Intermediate People's Court rejected Xu's appeal and upheld the sentence of the previous trial.