Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Dog and her puppies rescued in landslides-hit Wayanad.
Fact
Old video from Palakkad falsely linked to current situation in Wayanad.
Several social media users shared a one-minute-thirty-second-long-video of a dog and her puppies being rescued from under the mud, claiming it to be a recent incident from the landslides-hit Wayanad. Newschecker, however, found the footage to be old and unrelated to the current situation in the Kerala district.
The video is being widely shared on X and Facebook with users claiming it to be from Wayanad.
Such posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
Also Read: Wayanad Landslides – Video Of DYFI Relief Efforts Falsely Shared As RSS Aid
Fact Check/Verification
A Google lens search on the keyframes of the viral footage led us to a report by Manorama Online, dated October 19, 2021. Carrying a screengrab from the same video, it stated that a mother dog and her puppies who were trapped under a mudslide in Palakkad were rescued by the locals.
We then looked up keywords “Palakkad,” “Dog Rescued,” and “Landslide” on Google which led us to a report by The News Minute from October, 2021. It featured an image similar to the visuals seen in the viral footage, and stated, “On October 10, Sabitha and Ashraf, a couple who run a shop in a village bordering Palakkad-Malappuram districts of Kerala, heard a dog wailing.”
“They searched but couldn’t find where the wails and whimperings came from. They heard the same cries of a dog for two more days until on October 12, the family decided to undertake a closer inspection. Finally, they found where the wailing came from — beneath a mound of mud. The dog and her two puppies were buried below the mud in a minor landslide in Palakkad district…”
Also Read: 2001 Image of El Salvador Earthquake Viral As Wayanad Landslide
The report further quoted Ashraf as saying, “We heard a wailing sound of a dog in this area for three days. There was a minor landslide due to the rains and they were trapped under the mud. We could hear only the muffled sounds. We dug out the mud a bit and saw the dog’s head. When we dug further, we saw six pups. However, only two of the pups survived. Now, the mother dog and her surviving babies have regained health and they are safe.”
It also featured a YouTube video by Manorama News with snippets from the viral footage showing the rescue of the mother dog and her puppies.
Another report on the incident by The New Indian Express also corroborated that dogs and two pups “survived a minor landslide after lying covered with mud behind a shop for three days” on the Palakkad–Malappuram border and were rescued by the locals.
Also Read: Old, Unrelated Images From Idukki Linked To Recent Landslides In Wayanad
Conclusion
Hence, an old video from Palakkad has been falsely shared to a dog and her puppies being rescued from landslides-hit Wayanad.
Result: False
Sources
Report By Manorama Online, Dated October 19, 2021
Report By The News Minute, Dated October 14, 2021
YouTube Video By Manorama News, Dated October 13, 2021
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
