Fact Check: Lions roam on road after land clearing in Kancha Gachibowli? No, video is from Gujarat
A video of wild cats roaming on the road has been circulating, allegedly linking it with land clearing in Kancha Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows wild cats roaming on the road after the forest clearing in Kancha Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
Fact:The claim is misleading. The video was recorded in Gujarat in November 2024.
Hyderabad: Kancha Gachibowli, a forested area near the University of Hyderabad, has recently been the focus of environmental and legal attention due to significant deforestation. In late March 2025, the Telangana government began clearing approximately 400 acres of this green cover to develop an IT park, leading to widespread protests from students, environmental activists and residents.
In this context, a video showing a group of wild cats roaming along a road and passing through a human settlement has been circulating on social media, accompanied by the claim that animals in Telangana are now seeking shelter on roads and in residential areas.
An Instagram user shared the video and wrote, āThe forests of Telangana have been destroyed; animals now find shelter on roads and in human settlements.ā
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading, as the video is not recent and was recorded in Gujarat in November 2024.
After conducting a reverse image search, we found that the video was originally posted by an Instagram user on November 8, 2024. The post included the hashtag #GirForest, suggesting the footage is from the Gir regionāa forest and wildlife sanctuary located in the western Indian state of Gujarat, which is home to the last remaining population of Asiatic lions.
A YouTube channel named Ahmedabad Mitra published the video on November 11, 2024, reporting that a group of 12 lions was seen walking along the road.
Following these leads, we did a keyword search and found that the video was reported by News18 and Divya Bhaskar in November 2024. As per the reports, the video shows around ten Asiatic lions walking along the Rajula-Somnath National Highway in Gujaratās Amreli district at night. The lions were seen moving along the road, lit by the headlights of passing vehicles. The video caught a lot of attention online, with many people amazed but also concerned. It has once again brought up the issue of wild animals getting too close to human areas and the need for better steps to keep both people and animals safe.
Therefore, we conclude that the claim that the video is from Telangana is misleading.
