Nagpur: The Maharashtra Forest Department has raised a red flag over a disturbing new trend, the spread of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated wildlife videos that mislead the public and spark unnecessary panic.
The latest incident involves a fake video showing a tiger mauling a man at a rest house in Brahmapuri Forest Division, allegedly recorded on October 31 at 6.42 pm. The video, which quickly went viral on social media, sent shockwaves through local communities already tense over recent man-animal conflict cases in the region.
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However, the Forest Department swiftly issued a clarification, firmly stating that no such incident ever took place in the Brahmapuri division under Chandrapur Circle. In a strongly worded statement, the department said, “Certain antisocial elements are trying to create unrest by exploiting people’s fears through digitally fabricated content.”
Acting on directions from the Chief Wildlife Warden, the Divisional Forest Officer of Brahmapuri has initiated a probe and promised strict legal action against those responsible for creating and sharing the deceptive footage.
Officials have urged citizens not to believe or forward such AI-generated videos, warning that misinformation can not only mislead people but also hinder real conservation efforts.
Interestingly, this isn’t an isolated case. Just days earlier, another AI-crafted clip showing a drunken man fearlessly patting a tiger near Pench Tiger Reserve had gone viral. The Pench Tiger Reserve management and police later tracked down the creator of that video and took appropriate action.
With AI tools becoming more accessible, forest authorities fear a rise in such misleading videos — a trend that threatens to distort the reality of wildlife behaviour and undermine public trust.
