Viral image of injured elephant is from Thailand, not India

An image of an injured elephant with a misleading claim is being widely shared on social media.

In the image, we can see a severely injured elephant hardly standing on his feet. The elephant is looking brutally tortured and exhausted.

The post has been shared with the caption, “Today is Ganesh Puja. Share this post as much as you can #Assamese_elephant_captive_in_Tamil_Nadu_templeJaymala. The elephant was leased from Assam to Tamil Nadu in 2008 for just six months. The elephant — illegally captured for the past 13 years — was brutally beaten by several mouths on temple premises. But the Assam Forest Department is indifferent despite knowing everything.”

FACT CHECK

NewsMeter performed a reverse image search and found an article published by National Geographic, dated 20th June 2019.

The title of the article reads, ‘This elephant’s plight sparked outrage. Here’s an update.’

In the…