Amid public uproar over the recent tree felling in the Kancha Gachibowli area of Hyderabad — an issue currently being heard in the Supreme Court — a video showing a group of deer walking into a garage is extensively circulating online, implying that wildlife is fleeing urban areas due to deforestation.
Here’s the link to the above post. (Archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be MISLEADING.
Conducting a Reverse Image Search of the video keyframes, the NM ream traced a Facebook post, dated June 17, 2023, carrying the original video. As per its caption, the footage was captured when a man stepped out of his garage and found about 20 deer entering his home. The video was credited to a content creator — Deer Whisperer Lynn Smith.
Going through ‘Deer Whisperer Lynn Smith’, NewsMobile found a YouTube channel, titled @deerwhispererlynnsmith9330, carrying the same video, dated November 20, 2023. Multiple videos on the channel show deer frequenting the same garage, confirming that the viral footage is not related to any recent incident in India.
Also, the Facebook profile of Lynn Smith indicates that he is a wildlife content creator based in Texas, US, who regularly shares videos of deer interactions in his vicinity. His content features similar visuals of deer entering garages and walking freely around his property.
Thus, it is confirmed that the viral video of deer entering a garage is not connected to the recent environmental developments in Hyderabad. It was filmed in Texas, US.
