The Maharashtra Forest Department on Tuesday clarified that a viral image showing a tiger allegedly sighted in a farm field at Mangrul village in Junnar taluka, Pune district, is fake. The Forest Department also asserted that the image is artificially created using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
According to officials, the image, which has been widely circulated across various social media platforms, caused unnecessary concern among locals.
Following an inquiry over the viral image circulating online, the forest officials traced the source of the post to Dattatray Vinayak Minde of Mangrul village in Aurangabad district.
In a written statement to the department, Vinayak Minde admitted that the image was not genuine but an AI-generated picture.
The Forest Department urges the public not to believe or spread such rumours and to verify the authenticity of any such information before sharing it further.
Forest officials also asserted that, “We also appeal to media houses and social media users to act responsibly by ensuring factual reporting to avoid unnecessary panic or confusion among the public.”
Officials also urged media houses and social media users to exercise responsibility to prevent the spread of misinformation that could cause public panic or disturb social harmony.
“Spreading unverified information can disturb social harmony and affect the day-to-day life of people at large,” they added.