Fact Check: Mother and baby deer displaced due to HCU land clearance in Hyderabad? No, video is old

Hyderabad: The Telangana government’s decision to clear 400 acres of land near Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in Kancha Gachibowli for auction has sparked widespread protests. Environmentalists and students have expressed concerns about the ecological impact, pointing out that the area is home to diverse flora and fauna, including deer, which could lose their habitat due to deforestation. Amid this controversy, a video is going viral on social media, claiming to show the impact of this land clearance on local wildlife.

The video, shared on Instagram, shows a baby deer running across a dark road at night and crashing into the headlights of an oncoming car, causing it to stumble. The background shows a tree-lined road, with the headlights briefly illuminating the startled fawn before the collision.

The Instagram reel features text overlaid in Telugu, which translates to: “Mother deer and baby deer lost their habitat in HCU, the innocent creatures in HCU are falling victim to real estate.”

The post claims the incident took place near HCU due to the Telangana government’s land clearance. (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim to be false. The video is not from Hyderabad and has no connection to the ongoing land clearance near HCU.

A reverse image search of keyframes from the video led us to the same footage on YouTube, uploaded on January 31, 2023, titled “Confused Fawn Runs Toward Headlight USA.”

The description confirms that the incident occurred in the United States, capturing a baby deer running into a car’s headlights on a road at night. The video was uploaded by ViralHog, a content creator known for sharing viral and user-generated content.

Further investigation led us to a stock footage listing on Pond5, where the same video is available for licensing. The listing, titled “Confused Fawn Runs Toward Headlight USA 31 Jan 2023,” was uploaded by ViralHog, confirming that the footage was recorded in the United States on January 31, 2023.

NewsMeter could not independently verify the exact location of the viral video. However, it is clearly old and unrelated to the HCU land clearance. Therefore, we conclude that the viral claim is false.