Officials Debunk of Leopard Attacking Train Passenger

New Delhi, December 31, 2025: A state of alarm was witnessed in the villages adjoining the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve (SDTR) this week after a terrifying video began circulating on social media. On December 30, 2025, a clip went viral depicting a leopard chasing a moving train through a dense forest and ultimately dragging a passenger out of a coach. While the footage triggered a wave of “fear psychosis” among local residents in the Sidhi district, forest department officials have officially debunked the video as a sophisticated AI-generated fake.

Inside the Viral Illusion

The video was observed showing a leopard making several aggressive attempts to leap at passengers sitting near the open windows of a running train. In the final moments of the clip, the predator appeared to successfully snatch a passenger standing near the entrance of a coach. However, upon closer inspection by digital experts, the video was found to contain several physical impossibilities. Rajesh Kanna T, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of SDTR, was heard clarifying that a leopard simply cannot run at the speeds required to catch and attack a fast-moving train in that manner.

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A Pattern of AI-Generated Wildlife Hoaxes

This incident is not an isolated case but part of a growing trend of AI-generated wildlife misinformation in late 2025. Similar scares were reported in Pune and Amravati, where AI-generated footage was used to “add” leopards to existing CCTV recordings of residential areas. In the Amravati case, officials noted that the viral video showed a double railway track, whereas the actual local area only has a single track. These discrepancies have led authorities to warn the public that such “deepfake” content is being deliberately created to spread panic and disrupt public order.

Forest Department to Take Legal Action

The impact of these viral hoaxes has been described by forest officials as a significant drain on government resources. DFO Rajesh Kanna T emphasized that every fake video forces the department to divert vehicles, manpower, and time to verify false claims, which can delay responses to real wildlife emergencies. Consequently, it has been announced that criminal cases will be registered against individuals found creating or knowingly circulating such misleading content. The Pune Forest Department has already begun issuing notices to social media users under relevant sections of the law to curb this “digital menace.”

Authentic Safety Measures vs. Digital Fiction

As the year 2025 draws to a close, the Indian Railways has reiterated that while they use genuine AI-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to protect wildlife, there have been no recorded incidents of leopards attacking running trains. These real AI systems use acoustic sensors to alert loco pilots of animals near the tracks to prevent collisions. Citizens are being urged to rely on official government channels for safety updates and to refrain from forwarding unverified videos that utilize hyper-realistic animation to create unnecessary terror.