Forest dept struggles with fake leopard pics, videos

Pune Forest Dept receives 25 calls a day, mostly fake

- Indu Bhagat

The Pune Forest Department is facing challenges in handling leopard sighting alerts as fabricated videos and images continue to circulate widely on social media platforms and housing society groups.

According to officials, the department receives around 25 calls every day, many of which turn out to be based on manipulated or misleading visuals.

These fake sightings have created confusion among citizens and put additional pressure on forest rescue teams. Speaking on the challenges of the circulation of fake leopard videos on social media, Neha Panchamiya, Founder and President of RESQ Charitable Trust, highlighted that it is not just creating fear among citizens but also delaying the response time to rescue a leopard in genuine cases.