A heart-warming story about an elephant guarding the body of a fallen Kruger National Park ranger has been confirmed as entirely false by SANParks, becoming the latest in a wave of viral misinformation that has swept across social media platforms this month.
The fabricated post claimed that a veteran ranger named Sipho Nkosi suffered a heart attack while on patrol and that an elephant he had rescued years earlier stood watch over his body for three days, protecting him from scavengers and grieving beside him until recovery teams arrived.
The elephant, supposedly called “Mnumzane” (Zulu for “Sir”), was said to have been rescued by Nkosi as a calf after poachers killed his mother. Trail camera footage allegedly captured the elephant touching the ranger’s body with his trunk, chasing away hyenas and covering him with branches.
SANParks has now issued an official statement confirming the story is completely fabricated.
“SANParks has noted a social media story making the rounds alluding to a veteran ranger who died of a suspected heart attack and his mortal remains were allegedly looked after by an elephant named ‘munumzana’. This is fictitious and did not occur in the Kruger National Park,” the statement read.
“The writer omitted to mention that the story is fiction and not true. SANParks can confirm that the story is not true.”
The post gained more than 7 500 shares on Facebook, with international pages picking it up and South Africans tagging news outlets requesting coverage. Comments sections filled with emotional responses from readers who believed the tale was genuine.
Royal family targeted by AI-generated hoax
The Kruger elephant story follows another high-profile misinformation incident involving Britain’s Prince William and Princess Kate. A video circulated widely on social platforms this week appearing to show the royal couple announcing they are expecting their fourth child.
The sophisticated AI-generated video depicted William and Kate holding an ultrasound image and expressing excitement about the pregnancy. The footage was convincing enough to fool thousands of royal watchers before being debunked as completely fabricated.
The fake announcement comes amid ongoing concerns about the couple’s privacy and the increasing difficulty in distinguishing authentic content from AI-generated material.
Radio station sparks panic with false death announcement
In a separate incident this week, a British radio station actually accidentally announced that King Charles had died, spreading panic amongst royal supporters before the error was corrected.
The premature announcement triggered immediate concern across social media platforms, with the false news spreading rapidly before official sources could confirm the King was alive and well.
The incident highlighted how quickly misinformation can travel, even when originating from what would typically be considered credible media sources.
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