A video allegedly showing a drunk leopard was shared by many on social media. In the clip, the animal can be seen walking slowly through a forest area, surrounded by dozens of people, all comfortably walking beside it, some even patting its back.
One X user wrote while sharing the video: “Leopard got drunk and forgot he's a leopard.” The archives of similar posts can be seen here and here.
India Today found that the leopard in the video was not drunk but suffering from a neurological disease.
Our Probe
A quick reverse search of the viral video’s keyframes led us to an NDTV report from August 30, 2023, that said this video was from Madhya Pradesh’s Iklera village. NDTV also shared another video of the incident shot from a different angle. In this video, people can be seen trying to ride the leopard.
This incident was reported by multiple news outlets in August 2023. According to reports, in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district, villagers saw a leopard roaming in the forest area near the Kali Sindh river. They informed the forest department about it and then approached the animal, armed with sticks. But the leopard, being sick, showed no signs of aggression. Because of this, they then began playing with it. Later, the forest department’s team arrived at the spot and rescued the leopard.
On August 29, 2023, the leopard was brought to Indore’s zoo. Upon examination, vets found it was feverish and having fits. It was also reportedly hungry and dehydrated.
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While being treated at the Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalay, doctors discovered it was suffering from a neurological disorder, reportedly affecting its memory. India Today’s Dewas correspondent Dharmendra spoke to Dr Uttam Yadav, who treated this leopard. Yadav said that the leopard was suffering from a contagious viral disease called canine distemper.
Thus, it’s clear that the viral video does not show a drunk leopard.
Published By:
chingkheinganbi mayengbam
Published On:
Feb 13, 2024
English (US) ·