Fact Check: Viral Video of Lion Sniffing Sleeping Man in India Is AI-Generated
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of Asiatic lions in India, which marks a major success in wildlife
Lion sniffing man
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of Asiatic lions in India, which marks a major success in wildlife conservation. The latest census in the Gir forests in Gujarat shows that the numbers rose from 674 in 2020 to 891 in 2025. But the numbers also raise concerns. Only 56% of Gujarat’s 891 lions are residents in forested areas. As many as 507 live in revenue areas and lion corridors outside the habitat areas. The non-forest areas are close to human habitations and are not suited for large carnivores like lions. There have been cases of conflict, and lions have died of electrocution and drowning or have been shot in self-defence. The number of lions in the area is too high, creating problems for both the animals and the humans.
Meanwhile, a video shows a lion walking down a street and smelling a man sleeping on the road, and walking away. Several social media users shared this video with different captions, calling it a miracle, and some wondered why the lion chose not to attack the person sleeping. Many users shared this video, claiming that the incident took place in India.
Some users shared the video with caption "A chilling moment caught on camera — a man sleeping on a footpath in India narrowly escapes a lion attack. The lion walks up to him, sniffs..."
Others shared it with caption "Dangerous Video: Night Street Tiger #tiger #night #dangerous #street"
While others shared it implying that the incident took place in India "भारत में सड़क पर सो रहा एक व्यक्ति शेर का शिकार होने से बच गया, जब शेर उसके पास आया, उसे सूंघा और फिर वहां से चला गया।" बेशक! जब तक ज़िंदगी लिखी है, कोई कुछ नहीं बिगाड़ सकता...!!
खुले आसमान के नीचे सो रहे युवक के पास आ पहुंचा शेर, वीडियो हुआ वायरल
Here is the archive link of the claim.