Fact Check: Viral image of three cheetahs is not of Kuno National Park, shared with false claim

New Delhi (Vishvas News): Ever since Namibian Cheetahs were released in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, several pictures and videos of the Cheetahs are circulating on social media. Now, a picture of three leopards is going viral with the claim that this picture is of Kuno National Park. Vishvas News fact-checked the viral post and found that this picture is of Masai Mara National Park in Kenya and was captured by wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein.

Claim:

Facebook user Vijay Dongre shared a picture (archive link) of three cheetahs on February 26 and wrote, “Chamcho Bernal mangwa lo, ab cheetah bhi camera dekh ke pose dete hai. According to some eminent scholars, this latest picture has come from Kunho Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. These are the cheetahs which have been brought to India from Namibia by Modi ji. How these leopards are sitting like the three lions of Ashoka, the symbol of India.”

Other users also shared similar links.

Investigation:

Vishvas News first used Google Lens to fact-check the viral image and found the picture on many websites. In a news report published in India Times on February 21, 2023, it was stated that this picture was clicked by wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein of Wimbledon. This picture is of Masai Mara National Park in Kenya. The photographer also posted this picture on his Facebook page. (Link)

Wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein also mentioned the picture of three leopards in his Facebook post on January 25, 2022. He wrote that this picture was clicked in Masai Mara, Kenya.

Vishvas News contacted Paul Goldstein’s office via email. He responded to our mail and said that this picture is being used for political gains and he will take action against such accounts.

Taking the investigation forward, Vishvas News contacted PK Verma, DFO, Kuno National Park, Sheopur and shared the viral picture with him. He said, “The viral picture had come to him as well. The photo of the three Leopards sitting in the posture of the Ashoka Pillar is not clicked in Kuno National Park. Facebook user Vijay Dongre is followed by 3,311 people.