Old and unrelated video shared as dog being rescued after recent landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad

The viral video shows a dog and her puppies being rescued after a minor landslide near Palakkad district in Kerala in 2021.

As the Wayanad landslide death toll crosses 300, rescue and relief operations are still ongoing to locate missing individuals. Against this backdrop, numerous videos and images from the devastated area are circulating on social media. One among them is a video of a dog and her puppies being rescued from under the mud, claiming it to be a recent incident from the landslides-hit Wayanad.

The caption states, “Big salute to rescue team. A dog and her two puppies rescued from Landslide in Wayanad, Kerala”.

Let’s check the truth

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Fact Check- 

We started our investigation with a reverse image search on Google and the results led us to a YouTube video uploaded by Malayalam news channel Manorama News on 13 October 2021. The video mentions that a dog stuck under mud after landslides caused by heavy rains. Out of six puppies, only two survived. and her two cubs, trapped in a landslide near Palakkad in Kerala state in October 2021, were rescued safely. From this video it is evident that it predates the recent Wayanad landslides.

Further investigation revealed a news report by The News Minute, published on 14 October, 2021. The report mentions about the rescue of a dog and her two puppies in a village near Kanjirathani, Kumaranelloor, Palakkad district, following a minor landslide. The report also included a link to the Manorama News video.

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We also came across a  New Indian Express report regarding the same incident, confirming the rescue took place in the Palakkad district. The report included a frame from the viral video showing the dog being sheltered after the rescue.

Thus, we can clearly say an old and unrelated video from Palakkad, Kerala falsely shared as visuals from landslide hit Wayanad.

Conclusion- 

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be Misleading. In the viral video, a dog and her puppies are rescued following a minor landslide near Palakkad district in Kerala in 2021. It is not from recent landslides in Wayanad.