Stay wise to fake animal rescue videos

A disturbing trend of fake animal rescue videos has been gaining popularity over the last few years on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram etc.

Often involving puppies and kittens in distressing situations, such as being tied up, attacked by a snake, stuck in mud or trapped in a hole, the animal is then ‘rescued’ by the person who put them in that situation, for likes, shares and donations.

If you think a video is fake, then report it to the platform, do not like, comment or share and do NOT donate. Here are some ways to tell if a video is fake:

1. Does it look staged? Does the rescuer immediately find a distressed animal like a puppy or a kitten, and is the animal in a situation that seems unrealistic? Is there dramatic background music? Are there any other people on the scene such as the person who reported the animal, or any passers-by? Real rescue videos usually involve multiple people and the rescuers have equipment such as nets, a leash, muzzle, first aid kit etc. Often fake videos only have two people, one to film and one to ‘rescue’.

2. What happens to the animal afterwards? Is the animal taken to a vet or a reputable NGO? Or does the video end after the ‘rescue’?

3. Does the same animal appear in multiple rescue videos? Often, the same puppy or kitten is used for different videos.

4. Does the rescuer belong to an animal welfare organisation? Which one? If so research the organisation to see if it looks credible.

5. Look at the comments below the video. Are there any critical comments and are they responded to properly? Are the comments turned off?

Share this post to educate other people about fake rescue videos online, to avoid people being conned into giving donations and to stop animals being abused for money. Genuine organisations will be happy to answer your questions and give follow up information on the animal rescued.