Fact Check: Video of elephant rescue is AI generated simulation

In search of food, elephants are increasingly encroaching human settlements as concrete structures continue to rise and greenery diminishes. The destruction of natural resources within forests has forced elephants to venture out in search of food and water.

While the forest department had implemented various measures to protect the public, drive elephants back into the forest, conflicts sometimes arise between humans and elephants. In some cases, elephants find themselves in dangerous situations, or humans are injured or killed in elephant attacks.

Recently, a group of elephants entered Patkhali village, located under the Bimala Forest Section of the Bankhand Telkoi Range in Kendujhar. Although villagers managed to chase the elephants away, a 17-18-year-old female elephant fell into an unused open well, which had been obscured by overgrown vegetation. Fortunately, the forest department later rescued the elephant.

Amidst this, a video of an elephant trapped on a hillock has recently gone viral on social media.

The video shows bid to rescue the elephant using different equipment, with the animal eventually being saved. However, some users mistakenly claim that the incident took place in the U.S., and others have shared stating that the elephant was rescued by the police.

Some viewers also questioned how the elephant ended up in that location.

Fact Check:

We found the claim is false. The elephant rescue video is AI-generated.

While investigating the incident, we found no news reports published by any credible media outlets.

Additionally, there are noticeable inconsistencies in the visuals. For instance, certain parts of the excavator appear to change throughout the video.

At one point in the clip, the elephant is even shown with two tails.

While conducting a reverse image search, we found that the viral video was uploaded on October 2, 2024, on the AThinginside YouTube channel.

Since then, the video has garnered 7,114,229 views and 1.7 lakh likes. It was uploaded with a detailed description, How this content was made: Altered or synthetic content. Sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated. 

We analyzed the video using Sightengine AI's tool, which determined there is an 87 percent likelihood that the video contains AI-generated content.

We came across a video on social media showing a similar rescue, but involving a giraffe. A nearly identical scenario appears to have taken place in the same location. 

Previously, India today conducted a fact check on this viral and concluded that "Jumbo save? No, this video of an elephant rescue is AI-generated.

Whereas The Quint mentioned, 'This Clip of an Elephant Being Rescued From a Cliff Is Not Real!'

Hence, it is proved that the viral video was not of any real rescue operation, but generated by AI.