Fact Check: Viral Video Of Hippo With A Human Face Is Edited
Vishvas News’ investigation found this claim to be false. The video has been edited, and in the original video, the hippo didn’t have a human face.
- By: Pallavi Mishra
- Published: Mar 24, 2025 at 01:27 PM
- Updated: Mar 24, 2025 at 04:30 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News) – A viral video on social media claims to show a hippopotamus with a human face, allegedly spotted in Thailand.
However, Vishvas News’ investigation revealed that the video had been edited. In the original footage, the hippo appears normal with a human face.
What is going viral?
On March 17, 2025, Instagram user ‘hariom_kumar_deshi_boy’ shared the viral video (archive link), with the caption, “A hippopotamus with the face of a man was seen on a road in Thailand, share it as much as possible with everyone.”
Investigation
To begin our investigation, we carefully analysed the video. When the hippo takes some stuff from the man sitting in the car, their hands appear to merge, raising suspicion that the video might be edited.
Continuing our investigation, we conducted a Google reverse image search using the key frames from the video. We found the video shared across several social media posts, but in these original versions, the hippo’s face appeared normal. The face had been altered through editing in the viral version.
To verify this, we spoke to video and computer graphic expert Arun Kumar. He confirmed that the video has been edited, stating, “In the video, when the hippo is moving, the water around it is not moving. Along with this, the hand of the man coming out of the car and the hippo are also merging.”
To trace the video’s origin, we conducted a keyword-based search. Our findings suggest that the video originated from Taman Safari in Bali, Indonesia. This location allows cars to drive through shallow water, bringing visitors close to the hippos. Several social media posts feature similar videos from this area, closely resembling the viral video.
Instagram user ‘hariom_kumar_deshi_boy’ who shared the viral video with the false claim has over 600 followers.
Conclusion: Vishvas News’ investigation found this claim to be false. The video has been edited, and in the original video, the hippo didn’t have a human face.
- Claim Review : A hippopotamus with the face of a man was seen on a road in Thailand, share it as much as possible with everyone
- Claimed By : Instagram user ‘hariom_kumar_deshi_boy’
- Fact Check : False
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