A video of a mob walking along and even taking selfies with a leopard is being widely circulated on social media platforms. The accompanying claim suggests that the leopard, appearing to be under the influence of alcohol displayed behavior similar to that of a domesticated animal. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of a leopard exhibiting domesticated behavior under the influence of alcohol.
Fact: The viral visuals show a leopard exhibiting unusual behavior due to a brain disorder, and not intoxication. The incident was reported in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district. Later, the animal was rescued by forest officials and transferred to a zoo in Indore city. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
It is true that visuals indeed depict the mob playing with a leopard and it showed no signs of aggression. However, this behavior is not a result of intoxication, instead, it is the result of certain neurological disorders it is experiencing.
Relevant keyword searches yielded multiple news articles that reported similar visuals (here & here). As per these reports, the incident is reported in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district, on the banks of the Kali Sindh River.
As the incident came to light, the leopard was rescued by forest officials and transferred to a zoo in Indore city. According to these officials, the leopard is in critical condition due to a brain disorder.
Several news agencies have reported the visuals (here & here), yet none of these reports have linked the atypical behavior to intoxication, as asserted in the viral post. Thus, establishing the viral narrative as inaccurate.
To sum it up, the leopard’s unusual behavior resulting from a brain disorder is erroneously attributed to alcohol intoxication.
