A video recently grabbed attention online. The viral clip allegedly showed a man, Raju Patel, petting a Royal Bengal Tiger after mistaking it for a “big-sized cat” in Pench, Madhya Pradesh. But after a fact check, here’s what really happened and whether the video is real or AI generated.
Man Allegedly Seen Petting A Tiger In Pench
TRUE INCIDENT (as received)
On October 4, 2025, in Pench, India, a surreal moment was captured on CCTV. Raju Patel, a 52-year-old labourer, patted a tiger he mistook for a “big cat” after a late-night card game, tipsy from homemade liquor. Raju stumbled onto a street where a… pic.twitter.com/D2tx2ZLUiJ
— Mukul Dekhane (@dekhane_mukul) October 29, 2025
A video posted by X user @dekhane_mukul showed a man petting a Royal Bengal Tiger on its head while holding a bottle of alcohol. In the clip, which is now going viral, the man can also be seen offering the alcohol to the tiger. His face is also dangerously close to the wild animal.
The post claimed that the incident took place on October 4 near the Pench Tiger Reserve. It mentioned that the man was a 52-year-old labourer named Raju Patel, who mistook the tiger for a cat after returning from a late-night card game. The post further alleged that Raju Patel was tipsy when he stopped to pet the tiger on its head for 5-10 minutes. The forest officials later arrived with spotlights and mildly tranquilised the tiger. The officials then guided it back to the forest around 3 am.
X user @dekhane_mukul ended the post with sarcastic lines saying, “Raju is now under heavy police protection and has blocked his Social Media account. He was apparently being hounded by the entire local married male population, who were demanding access to the recipe for the homemade liquor.”
Also Read: Why Are Tiger Cubs In Karnataka’s Bandipur Forest Being Fed Roadkill?
Fact Check: The Viral Tiger Video Is Fake
Just like always, many netizens fell for the fake video and believed it to be real. However, as per a report by News X, fact-checkers have revealed that the video was created using AI tools. It is not real. If such an incident had actually happened, forest officials would have made a statement. News channels would have been flooded with headlines about it. But no such reports exist. Even the officials of Pench National Park have not released any statement regarding the incident.
While many people believed the video, some users were quick to point out the truth. One user wrote, “I showed it to my daughter and she brushed it off as ‘it’s done by AI’ How does one verify these things?” Another commented, “I want to know which AI tool he used to create the video.”
Also Read: In Search Of Love: Male Tiger Swims From Maharashtra To Telangana To Look For A Mate
So yes, rest assured, the video is fake. And this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. AI-generated videos are becoming so realistic that many of us end up believing them, right?
Cover Image Courtesy: @dekhane_mukul/ X
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