A picture of two bear cubs has gone viral, with the claim that the deforestation in the Hasdeo Arand forest caused them to become separated from their mother.
Verified accounts on twitter, including Hansraj Meena (“@HansrajMeena“) tweeted “This picture is not of the California forest but of Hasdev forest. Where these 2 newborns of this rare species of bear got separated from their mother in the Surguja forest which is being destroyed for Adani coal mines. But we are living in that era where it does not matter whether animals or humans die. #SaveHasdeo” on Dec 28, 2023. The tweet has received an about 210k views on X.
ये तस्वीर कैलिफॉर्निया के जंगल की नहीं हसदेव अरण्य की है। जहां अडानी कोयला खदानों के लिए नष्ट किए जा रहे सरगुजा जंगल में भालू के ये दुर्लभ प्रजाति के 2नवजात अपनी माँ से बिछड़ गए। लेकिन हम उस दौर में जी रहे है जहां जानवरों से क्या इंसानों के मरने से भी फर्क नहीं पड़ता। #SaveHasdeo pic.twitter.com/27z6ynNGCG
— Hansraj Meena (@HansrajMeena) December 28, 2023
Several accounts on twitter, including SUNIL KUMAR BANJARE (“@SUNILKU27101997“), Ashish Meena (“@AshishM74092752“), VikashMeenaa (“@JOHAR_WALEE“) also made the same claim that two newborn bears got separated from their mother due to deforestation in the Hadeo Arand forest. One of them is black and one is completely white, which is rare. Both of them were found in the same forest. The archive can be read from above.
What is the Actual Truth About this Incident? : Fact
The Koriya Forest Zone, not Hasdeo Arand, is where this picture was taken. The state’s Korba, Surajpur, and Surguja districts manage the Hasdeo Arand forest, while the Koriya district is for the Koriya Forest Zone. The villagers collected the cubs and gave them to the forest department. It has nothing to do with the Hasdeo’s deforestation.
We visited bhaskar, which clarified about this in an article published with the headline “सफेद और काले रंग के भालू के मिले शावक:लोग जंगल से उठाकर ले आए गांव, वन विभाग को सौंपा;दोनों शावकों को रायपुर भेजा गया”.
D-Intent’s Fact-Checking Results:
1486
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) December 30, 2023
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: An image of two cubs of bears has been shared, claiming that they got separated from their mother in the Hasdeo Arand forest due to deforestation. The fact is that this image is not from Hasdeo Arand but Koriya Forest Zone. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/KO6NLoiZe3
Intent:
Propagandists are circulating visuals from the Koriya Forest Zone, claiming to be from Hasdeo Arand forest to set their narrative over the deforestation. A photo purporting to show two bear cubs that were abandoned by their mother in the Hasdeo Arand forest has gone viral. But, after proper research, analysis and fact-checking, we have discovered that this picture was taken in the Koriya Forest Zone rather than Hasdeo Arand. While the Koriya Forest Zone is under the Koriya district, the Hasdeo Arand forest is under the the Korba, Surajpur, and Surguja districts of the state. The forest department received the cubs after the villagers picked them up. It is unrelated to the deforestation of the Hasdeo forest.
Conclusion:
Claim : An image of two bear cubs has been shared, with the claim that they were separated from their mother in the Hasdeo Arand forest due to deforestation.
Fact : The image is not from Hasdeo Arand, but from the Koriya Forest Zone. The Hasdeo Arand forest is part of the state’s Korba, Surajpur, and Surguja districts, while the Koriya Forest Zone is part of the Koriya district. The cubs were picked up by villagers and handed over to the forest department. Nothing to do with the deforestation of the Hasdeo.
