AI-Generated Clip Showing Tiger Attacking Man in Maharashtra Viral as Real

AI-detection tool Hive Moderation concluded that the video was created using artificial intelligence.

Fact-Check: This video is created using AI and is not real, as claimed. 

(Source: The Quint) 

A video claiming to show CCTV footage of a tiger attacking a man at the Brahmapuri Forest Guest House in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra, is being shared on social media.

• In the clip, the man is seen sitting outside when a tiger suddenly appears, attacks and drags him away.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: Instagram/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false as the viral video is created using artificial intelligence (AI).

What we found: At first, we divided the viral video into multiple screenshots and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them.

• We did not find any credible reports or sources to prove the validity of the video.

• Team WebQoof, then, ran a relevant keyword search which led us to a news report by the Times of India from 9 November.

• It noted that the Maharashtra Forest Department clarified that a viral video claiming to show a tiger attacking and killing a man at a rest house in the Brahmapuri Forest Division was fabricated using AI.

• Further, it stated that Deolapar Police Station registered a case against a Mumbai-based social-media user for circulating the video, which was being used to create unrest amid rising human-wildlife conflict.

Official statement: We then looked for the Department's statement, and came across it on Chandrapur's District Information Office's X account.

• The post stated that the viral video was fake, and had been created with the help of AI.

• A detailed version of it was also shared as a blog on their website. Forest officials noted that the viral clip had no link to recent wildlife incidents in Brahmapuri and warned of strict legal action against those responsible.

Here is the detailed press note by the Forest Department in Chandrapur. 

(Source: Forest Department Chandrapur) 

Visuals inconsistencies: We also noticed several visual inconsistencies in the clip, such as the man’s disappearing arms and feet, distorted legs, and unnatural movement toward the tiger, common indicators of AI-generated content.

Here are some anomalies in the viral video.

Here are some anomalies in the viral video.

Confirmation by AI-detection tools: To investigate further, we ran the video on Hive Moderation which revealed that it was "81.7 per cent likely" that the video contained AI-generated content.

Here are the results by Hive Moderation. 

(Source: Hive Moderation/Screenshot) 

Inputs from Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU): We submitted the video to the Trusted Information Alliance's DAU for detailed analysis using different tools to detect AI-generated content.

• Tools such as Image Whisperer and Hive's Image and Deepfake Classifier noted the presence of AI-generated content in the video to some degree, but not with high confidence.

• However, neither of them detected sufficient AI content in the video to conclusively deem it to be AI-generated.

Here are the results by DAU. 

Here are the results by DAU. 

• Other tools, like as AI or Not and Was it AI, did not find the video to be AI-generated, with the former calling it "likely real" visuals.

Here are the results by DAU. 

Here are the results by DAU. 

Confirmation by PIB: Press Information Bureau's Maharashtra unit posted on their official X page that the viral video was AI-generated and not real CCTV footage, as claimed by social media users.

Conclusion: The viral video showing a tiger attacking a man is created using AI and is not from Maharashtra.

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