{"id":4652,"date":"2020-04-03T14:50:19","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T13:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=4652"},"modified":"2020-04-03T14:50:26","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T13:50:26","slug":"tales-from-lockdown-russia-did-not-use-500-lions-or-tigers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/tales-from-lockdown-russia-did-not-use-500-lions-or-tigers\/","title":{"rendered":"Tales from Lockdown: Russia Did Not Use 500 Lions or Tigers&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-background has-text-align-justify has-very-light-gray-background-color wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Twitter user claimed that Russia released 500 tigers to keep people inside during lockdown.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"132\" height=\"55\" data-attachment-id=\"3545\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/minister-of-disinformation\/screenshot-2019-10-04-at-17-25-12\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screenshot-2019-10-04-at-17.25.12.png?fit=132%2C55&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"132,55\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screenshot-2019-10-04-at-17.25.12\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screenshot-2019-10-04-at-17.25.12.png?fit=132%2C55&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screenshot-2019-10-04-at-17.25.12.png?resize=132%2C55\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3545\" title=\"\"><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-text-color has-background has-text-align-justify has-vivid-red-background-color wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>While this particular image shared by the claim-source was generated from a meme maker website, the original image of the lion was taken in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2016, not recently as we have been led to believe by the publisher.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><strong>Full Text<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">COVID-19, a deadly disease caused by the novel coronavirus &#8211; SARS-CoV-2 -currently threatens the world leaving death and panic at its wake. In a bid to flatten the proverbial \u201ctransmission curve,\u201d several countries imposed restrictions on movement and trade, and governments have ordered citizens to stay at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/hBdPOBsMGcNlFZc9ofmc0M1SxzqGIGlvQ0GV7cql48m1FLF2BbS9QijYGfLiiVqzxedO_SIpCxGAN891HIuU-JV4jJQXfUw515XF6HZJxpMrpQzj-NbrkcKMGNvXND2PzJ8bmbTD\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><figcaption><strong>Viral image on WhatsApp<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">As restrictions of movement continue in many countries, news about\u00a0 Russia became viral. Then, we received a WhatsApp message displaying a news frame. The news frame claims that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has released 500 lions to the streets to enforce the country\u2019s lockdown rule. But is this true? We found the image on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Is this a wind up <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sG4vnfnxAN\">pic.twitter.com\/sG4vnfnxAN<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Lord_Sugar\/status\/1241770029982593026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March 22, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><strong>Verification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Firstly, Dubawa performed a keywords-search\u00a0 (Russia+Vladimirputin+500+lions+coronavirus+lockdown) that produced several <a href=\"https:\/\/search.yahoo.com\/search?fr=mcafee&amp;type=E211US1274G0&amp;p=Russia%2BVladimirputin%2B500%2Blions%2Bcoronavirus%2Blockdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fact-checks<\/a> that debunk the claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>One picture many stories<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">Nonetheless, we decided to get a clearer picture. In addition to our search, we found a Twitter post which claimed that the lions were 800; a contradictory number to the prior post that mentioned 500. @Mawunya_, the Twitter user, said Putin has released 800 lions and tigers to devour anyone who comes out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/piN0NrlbvCC6707vzbZ2qX_O11mrp-QQZpVlPQY_3oOXTd83KYAk_fI5DbcSY7n3uxXA68NcFLSOuM3xtQ7OJB5fZbyfJ_CcBH3iXNXihlV001slGanWzIKZMMv3hz_5VwcNIo3h\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After conducting a reverse image search, we found another <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zbcnewsonline_\/status\/1236383035643265030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Twitter post<\/a> by @zbcnewsonline_\u00a0 on March 7. The user captioned the image thus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/zbcnewsonline_\/status\/1236383035643265030\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">However, in disbelief, commenters have called the page out and accused it of spreading lies while others labelled it a parody account. One of the comments reads, <strong>\u201cIt&#8217;s a parody account mate. It\u2019s all lies.\u201d <\/strong>Another comment reads,<strong> \u201cWhere are the potholes? This isn&#8217;t Harare.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Furthermore, the image with the news frames was published on the 22nd of March on a <a href=\"https:\/\/me.me\/i\/meanwhile-in-russia-1512f56628b249e1af1bf61f263ddaf5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">meme website<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naijalivetv.com\/coronavirus-russia-releases-800-tigers-lions-to-force-citizens-stay-at-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Here,<\/a> the headline carries 800 lions and tigers but the image attached said 500 lions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, these images from 2016 further disprove this claim of Putin releasing 500 lions to the streets of Moscow and other cities.&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2016\/04\/15\/a-lion-named-columbus-decided-to-explore-johannesburg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Both<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-3541594\/Paws-traffic-lights-Giant-male-lion-seen-prowling-streets-South-Africa-s-biggest-city-s-not-dangerous-d-think.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">results<\/a> agree that the image has nothing to do with the Russian government nor the coronavirus. In actuality, a local film company took a photo of Columbus (the lion\u2019s name) in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2016; they had borrowed him from a lion park but failed to notify the authorities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Remember the meme creator&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">Recall, we mentioned earlier- in one of our <a href=\"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/cocaine-does-not-cure-coronavirus\/\">checks<\/a>&#8211; a website that allows users to break any news &#8211; Breakyourownnews? Well, it\u2019s work at play here is evident. The author used the website to create this misleading content. The news frame does not carry any news channel\u2019s logo or the graphics; it instead features the meme generator\u2019s watermark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/RC8Y8LHrGzS1l7PmaAeqG_9eLfboR2lcMcRJDv5FO3QwYjuDuc2Eul1ZiKSxqZVo54biJ77s_lq0MkjF-979_I1dyN4nUuB73BD0IAJ-0UsOuR0lPKe0LV1etOidxKftISMPhLcT\" alt=\"\" width=\"517\" height=\"359\" title=\"\"><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Twitter user claimed that Russia released 500 tigers to keep people inside during lockdown. While this particular image shared by the claim-source was generated from a meme maker website, the original image of the lion was taken in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2016, not recently as we have been led to believe by the publisher.&nbsp; Full Text COVID-19, a deadly disease caused by the novel coronavirus &#8211; SARS-CoV-2 -currently threatens the world leaving death and panic at its wake. In a bid to flatten the proverbial \u201ctransmission curve,\u201d several countries imposed restrictions on movement and trade, and governments have ordered citizens to stay at home. As restrictions of movement continue in many countries, news about\u00a0 Russia became viral. Then, we received a WhatsApp message displaying a news frame. The news frame claims that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has released 500 lions to the streets to enforce the country\u2019s lockdown rule. But is this true? We found the image on Twitter. Verification Firstly, Dubawa performed a keywords-search\u00a0 (Russia+Vladimirputin+500+lions+coronavirus+lockdown) that produced several fact-checks that debunk the claim. One picture many stories Nonetheless, we decided to get a clearer picture. In addition to our search, we found a Twitter post which claimed that the lions were 800; a contradictory number to the prior post that mentioned 500. @Mawunya_, the Twitter user, said Putin has released 800 lions and tigers to devour anyone who comes out. After conducting a reverse image search, we found another Twitter post by @zbcnewsonline_\u00a0 on March 7. The user captioned the image thus: However, in disbelief, commenters have called the page out and accused it of spreading lies while others labelled it a parody account. One of the comments reads, \u201cIt&#8217;s a parody account mate. It\u2019s all lies.\u201d Another comment reads, \u201cWhere are the potholes? This isn&#8217;t Harare.\u201d Furthermore, the image with the news frames was published on the 22nd of March on a meme website. Here, the headline carries 800 lions and tigers but the image attached said 500 lions. Moreover, these images from 2016 further disprove this claim of Putin releasing 500 lions to the streets of Moscow and other cities.&nbsp; Both results agree that the image has nothing to do with the Russian government nor the coronavirus. In actuality, a local film company took a photo of Columbus (the lion\u2019s name) in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2016; they had borrowed him from a lion park but failed to notify the authorities.&nbsp; Remember the meme creator&nbsp; Recall, we mentioned earlier- in one of our checks&#8211; a website that allows users to break any news &#8211; Breakyourownnews? Well, it\u2019s work at play here is evident. The author used the website to create this misleading content. The news frame does not carry any news channel\u2019s logo or the graphics; it instead features the meme generator\u2019s watermark.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":4661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[123],"tags":[562,841,843,844,793,842],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[903],"class_list":["post-4652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mainstream","tag-coronavirus","tag-lockdown","tag-meme","tag-putin","tag-quarantine","tag-russia"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-1d2","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":903,"user_id":50,"is_guest":0,"slug":"lateef-sanni","display_name":"Lateef Sanni","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/616f16e157fd4da1c34e7479c3b1610cd193c15c277c577ed2f1bd72bb8272fb?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"Sanni","first_name":"Lateef","job_title":"","description":"<strong>Lateef Sanni<\/strong>\u00a0is a graduate of mass communication from Lagos state university. Before joining Dubawa, he belonged to the association of campus journalists where he was trained on the basics of fact-checking, a tool for combating misinformation in Nigeria. He joined the Dubawa team as a researcher and content developer for Dubawa's social media platforms. He consistently works to improve the dissemination of fact-checks through pictures [fact cards] and videos."}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1622162284-1500x997-1.jpg?fit=1016%2C675&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4652"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=4652"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=4652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}