A False Claim Says There Are Gorillas in Cambodia’s Wildlife Sanctuary
As Cambodia’s wildlife sanctuary Prey Lang has been threatened by deforestation, a video of gorillas receiving fruits from a group of people on a boat was circulated on social media with a claim saying it is in the protected forest. The video claim has been widely shared on social media, and many Facebook users reacted to and commented on the post. After running a reverse image search, however, we found the claim was false.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM
A one-minute video showing a big gorilla receiving fruits from a group of people on a boat was circulated on social media in late December. The Khmer text overlaying on the video says the gorillas are in Cambodia’s protected forest, Prey Lang.
The video got a lot of views, reactions, and comments after it was uploaded on TikTok in late December.
Below is the full video of the social media claim saying “In our Cambodia, at Prey Lang Lake in Cambodia.”
The same video was also circulated on Facebook in early January, leading to more than 2,000 shares, reactions, and a mixture of comments from Khmer-speaking social media users.
Below is the full video which was uploaded on Facebook on January 03, 2024, with a caption saying “Credit to TikTok, I don’t know if the video is from a foreign country or Cambodia. Imagine if this was in our country, how good it was.”
FACT CHECK
Fact Crescendo Cambodia began debunking the claim by running a Google Reverse Image Search and interviewing relevant sources in an African country. Then, we found out the facts below.
The same video was found in the TikTok account named Deux Nuits Avec that uploaded the video in its social media page in December last year.
The vlogger said in the post that the gorilla lives in the Republic of Congo (ROC) located in the central part of Africa. ROC borders the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They are two different countries bordering each other. Some people may confuse about both countries.
Below is the full video uploaded by Deux Nuits Avec on December 18, 2023, with a caption saying “Gorilla in Congo” and checked in Brazzaville – the capital of ROC.
The same content creator also uploaded the video in his individual Instagram in October 2022 with a caption in French language.
The vlogger said he was more than happy to see with his eyes the gorilla that was reintegrated back into the natural forest during his trip to visit the protected reservation in ROC. The gorilla was brought back to the protected area from the United Kingdom.
Below is the full video uploaded in Instagram by Deux Nuits Avec on October 13, 2022 with a caption in French language.
Instagram Post | Archived Link
Based on his Instagram post, it’s clear that the vlogger’s visit to the protected area happened due to tourism private company Lawanda Tours & Adventure.
Responding to inquiries from Fact Crescendo Cambodia via WhatsApp yesterday, Gilles Mpion - Co-Founder of Lawanda Tours & Adventure – confirmed the gorilla lives in his natural home in ROC’s Lesio Louna Wildlife Reserve.
The protect area covering 440-kilometer squares of the natural forest in the norther part of ROC is aimed at protecting this endangered species.
Gilles Mpion clarified that he personally brought the French vlogger to meet the gorilla in a tour visiting the protect area in October 2022.
Below is the full video of Gilles Mpion and the vlogger Deux Nuits Avec which was uploaded on the company’s Facebook page on December 27, 2022. Mpion sent us the link of the video.
CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found out the claim mentioned above is false. The gorilla in the one-minute video does not live in Cambodia’s protected forest Prey Lang. The video is of gorillas living in Lesio Louna Wildlife Reserve in the Republic of Congo.
Title:A False Claim Says There Are Gorillas in Cambodia’s Wildlife Sanctuary
Written By: Jay UdomResult: False
