AI-generated leopard scares trigger panic: Pune Forest Dept to register criminal cases

Mahadev Mohite, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) for Pune Division, said, “We have been dealing with a very high number of AI-generated leopard images which are circulated in housing society WhatsApp groups and on social media creating unnecessary fear among the citizens. In many cases, these messages are coming to us through public representatives who are receiving them from local citizens. And a large chunk of these messages are turning out to be AI generated images, videos or old videos circulated as new accompanied by false claims.”

Officials said that what complicates this issue is the fact that many fake and AI generated images claim presence of leopards near the areas where leopards have already been sighted in actuality. Many of the images and videos which were confirmed to be fake claimed the presence of a leopard near Aundh, Bavdhan where confirmed leopard sighting had been reported. For example, a message which included a video of a leopard hunting a deer claimed that the incident took place in Bavdhan. When in fact it was an old video from Rajasthan. Similarly, a video showed a leopard climbing a compound wall of a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) facility in Pashan. The video caused panic on social media groups as the location was not far from Bavdhan. However, the video showing a leopard climbing the wall of the DRDO facility turned out to be AI-generated.

An officer from the Forest Department said, “We have also come across AI-generated videos in which people have added leopards to CCTV footage. We fail to understand why people are doing this.”

DCF Mohite added, “Because we are utilising our resources in verification of these messages, the real response efforts are delayed because teams must first verify whether an incident is genuine or not. Because of this problem, we will now be registering criminal cases against those who create these AI-generated images and videos and are knowingly circulating it. We have already held a meeting with the police officials in this regard. As a starting point, we have issued notices to some individuals and have called them for questioning.”

Range Forest Officers from various ranges in Pune and surrounding area said that fake images, AI generated video were proving to be a major hurdle in their daily functioning. A Range Forest Officer said, “Every fake image or AI-generated video forces our teams to divert time, vehicles, and manpower to verify false claims. This directly affects real rescue operations and public safety. Such misinformation can trigger panic, crowding, and even lead to wrong responses during an actual wildlife incident. We urge citizens not to forward unverified messages. Those found deliberately creating or circulating fake content will be booked under relevant sections of the law.”