Photos and claims that say there was an orangutan helping a geologist who had been trapped in a mud pool were virally shared and reacted to by social media users. However, the Fact Crescendo team found that the narration attached to the above image was misleading.
Let’s look at the claim in detail.
Social Media Claim
Recently, there was a viral image showing an orangutan and a man trapped in a mud pool has been widely posted. The above post is attached along with a claim that that orangutan was stretching out his hand to help a geologist who fell into a mud pool during his search.
The above image attached to the claim has been shared and reacted with mixed comments by the social media users, leading them to be confused that the actual train was real.
The following is a snapshot captured from the Facebook above, who wrote, “Two years ago CNN released a photo taken by the photographer Anil Prabhakar in the forest in Indonesia. The image shows an orangutan, currently under threat of extinction, while stretching out his hand to help a geologist who fell into a mud pool during his search”.
Such other photos have also been posted and found on many Facebook social networks. The full confirmation message is below.
The following is a snapshot captured from another Facebook post featuring an orangutan stretching out its hand to a man standing chest-deep in a mud pool.
There were some Threads posts also.One such can be reached here
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo team reviewed and verified the above claim through a Google Reverse Image Search, which brought us to the following facts:
We have found the source image posted on the Instagram page of photographer Anil Prabhakar on January 23, 2020. The above post does not state that an orangutan was stretching out his hand to help a geologist who fell into a mud pool during his search.
Instagram Post | Archived Link
An article published by CNN on February 7, 2020, confirmed that the above image of an orangutan was taken on the island of Borneo, where he was on a safari with his friends in a reservation forest run by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF). The reservation forest is located in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province.
The man in the photo is known to be a keeper at the reserve and is named “Syahrul”. He confirmed and added that he was doing maintenance, clearing the water ponds, so the water remained deep. He is not a trapped geologist.
CNN News Report | Archived Link
The story behind it and a video clarification have also been made and published on the Instagram page in February 2020, explaining the story behind the picture after it went viral online recently.
Instagram Post | Archived Link
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Bornean Orangutan has most recently been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016. It is currently listed as critically endangered.
AFP, a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, has also fact-checked and verified the above claim, and the result shows the man pictured is a keeper at an Indonesian wild reserve who was conducting routine maintenance.
AFP News Report | Archived Link
Follow Us and Stay Up to Date with Our Latest Fact Checks.
Facebook Twitter Telegram Google News TikTok
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo has found that the photos attached to the above claim are misleading. This photo actually shows a keeper conducting routine maintenance at an Indonesian wild reserve.
Title:Is a geologist stuck in a mud puddle and being helped by an orangutan?
Fact Check By: Fact Crescendo TeamResult: Misleading
