This video does not show a crocodile in a flooded street in Pakistan

This video does not show a crocodile in a flooded street in Pakistan

(AFP) - A video of a crocodile in a flooded street has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim that it was taken in Karachi, Pakistan, as the city continues to see widespread flooding in August 2020. The claim, however, is false; this video has circulated online since 2019 and actually shows a street in India.

The video was published on Facebook on August 26, 2020. It has been viewed more than 748,000 times and shared some 28,000 times.

The 30-second clip shows a crocodile being pulled by a rope on a flooded street. Bystanders can be heard screaming as they watch.

The video’s Urdu caption translates to English as: “After heavy rain, the crocodiles of Manghopir are out. Beware the crocodiles. Share this post.”

Manghopir is a neighbourhood in the outskirts of Karachi. It is famed for its shrine to the Sufi saint Haji Syed Shaikh Sultan, which has a pond populated by dozens of crocodiles.

Heavy rain lashed the Pakistani port city in August, causing widespread flooding that killed dozens and left many homeless. A local report on the damage caused by the downpour.

The video was also shared on Facebook, alongside similar claims.

The claim, however, is false.

A reverse image search on Google using video keyframes found a video of the same scene shot from a different angle, published on the YouTube channel of Indian newspaper Times of India on August 4, 2019.

The video description states: “Due to waterlogging by the ongoing heavy rains, further incidents of crocodiles entering Vadodara’s housing complexes have been recorded. Following last week’s viral video of a crocodile attacking a dog inside

Lalbaug’s Rajsthamb society, a team of rescuers captured another reptile at night from the entrance of a house.

Meanwhile, a 10-foot-long crocodile gave a hard time to forest officials at a society in Vadsar. As the water levels rise in the Lalbaug lake, crocodiles come out and enter the housing societies adjacent to it.”

Vadodara is a city in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the Time of India video (L) and the video in the misleading Facebook post (R), with identical features circled in blue, red and green by AFP:

The state-run Sindh Wildlife Department in Karachi also denied the claims in an August 24, 2020 tweet.

It reads: “Sindh Wildlife Officials Hasnain & Naeem, deputed for covering wildlife issues within Karachi city premises rushed 2 shrine of ‘Mangho Pir’ on news spread on social media regarding escape of sacred crocodile having historical significance with the shrine. The news proved baseless!”