Nagpur: The Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Maharashtra, has debunked a viral video showing a man allegedly patting a tiger on a village street, declaring the footage completely fake and AI-generated. The Reserve issued a press statement on Wednesday clarifying that no such incident ever occurred inside or near the reserve.
In the viral clip, which spread like wildfire across social media in the past 24 hours, a man, seemingly drunk, is seen fearlessly patting a tiger on a road. The caption falsely claims the big cat had “strayed due to monsoon floods” and that forest officials later intervened.
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Calling the video “misleading and fabricated”, PTR management said such content creates unnecessary panic and spreads misinformation about wildlife safety and forest administration.
Deputy Director, PTR, urged citizens to refrain from sharing unverified and sensational content, emphasizing that the forest department maintains round-the-clock surveillance on wildlife movement and promptly responds to any real conflict situation.
The statement further warned that strict legal action would be taken under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Information Technology Act, and other relevant laws against individuals found creating or circulating fake content that can cause public alarm or harm the reserve’s reputation.
For accurate updates, PTR has advised citizens to rely only on official communications from the Tiger Reserve or the Maharashtra Forest Department.
Reality check: The “man patting tiger” story is nothing but an AI hoax — proof that even the jungle isn’t safe from the claws of fake news.
