Many countries are affected by a coronavirus which has led the governments around the world to have imposed lockdown measures and advised citizens to stay at home. With the ongoing lockdown, animals and birds were spotted in many places, reclaiming cities. People in most of the countries around the world are stuck indoors, leaving the otherwise busy streets and roads, empty and deserted. From deer to goats to birds, many videos are surfacing on the internet, showing how they are strolling on the empty roads. Similarly, a video clip showing family of lions and cubs walking across the road went viral in recent hours. The captions on the clip claimed that the animals were sighted near Ridge area close to Dhaula Kuan at Delhi Cantt road. After the video went viral, the Delhi Forest and Wildlife Department reported that the video is not from Delhi, but most likely from Gujarat. Peacocks, Deer And Dolphins Spotted in Mumbai! Animals Seen Roaming Freely As Humans Remain in Lockdown. 

The clip was taken from inside a car, where the driver was shocked to see the lion cubs with their mothers walking on the ridge. The video is making rounds on the internet, ever since uploaded. It was claimed that the pride of lions were spotted in Delhi. But the Delhi Forest Department stated that the video was not from Delhi and that it is also ‘impossible’ to sight lions at the national capital. Hundreds of Sheep Flock on Empty Turkey Streets Is Another Example of How Animals Are Reclaiming Cities While the World Is in Lockdown. 

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“Several people asked us to verify the authenticity of the clip. The location does not look like Dhaula Kuan and it is impossible to sight lions in Delhi. It is most likely an old video shot somewhere in Junagadh in Gujarat. We can say with certainty that the clip was not shot in the capital,” Ishwar Singh, principal chief conservator of forests, was quoted saying in a TOI report. He added that people should be careful before posting or sharing such videos.

“Today, no surviving ecological corridors from Gir to Delhi exist. This range also has very little prey base for the specialist big cats,” Faiyaz Khuhdsar, scientist-in-charge at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP) was quoted in the same report. He said that it is not possible to see Asiatic lions in Delhi, given the division and distribution of Aravali range. Now that it is clear the video is not from Delhi, viewers are requested not to forward it with the false claim. Meanwhile, the place of the sighting of these pride of lions is yet to be confirmed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 08, 2020 01:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).