A video featuring a man, Raju Patel, allegedly petting a Royal Bengal Tiger in Pench, Madhya Pradesh, has gone viral online. The incident purportedly occurred on October 4, 2025, after Patel, 52, returned from a late-night card game and mistakenly identified the tiger as a large domestic cat. The video, shared by X user @dekhane_mukul, shows Patel petting the tiger and offering it a bottle of alcohol.
The post claimed that this encounter lasted for approximately 5 to 10 minutes before forest officials arrived, managed to tranquilize the animal, and guided it back to its habitat around 3 AM. However, a fact-check revealed that the video is not authentic but rather generated using AI tools. No reports from credible sources or statements from Pench National Park officials have confirmed the event.
Many viewers initially believed the video to be real, though some quickly identified it as a product of artificial intelligence. The growing sophistication of AI tools has raised concerns regarding the authenticity of online content.
First Published: October 29, 2025, 4:37 PM
- Why it matters: Readers should be cautious about the credibility of viral videos, as misinformation can easily spread, complicating public understanding of wildlife safety and behaviors.
- Businesses leveraging AI technology in digital content need to recognize the potential for such tools to mislead consumers, impacting brand trust and reputation.
- The latest: Fact-checkers have confirmed that claims about the incident are false and the video was created using AI, highlighting the growing prevalence of realistic digital forgeries.
Source: https://curlytales.com/india/trending/fact-check-is-the-viral-video-of-a-man-petting-a-tiger-feeding-it-alcohol-in-pench-real-or-ai/
Source: https://curlytales.com/india/trending/fact-check-is-the-viral-video-of-a-man-petting-a-tiger-feeding-it-alcohol-in-pench-real-or-ai/