Images of crocodile racing have been widely circulated on social media, accompanied by claims that they depict a crocodile racing event held in Sarawak, Malaysia. While many users have shared their opinions and questioned the authenticity of these images, our investigation has verified that the claims are false.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM
Images showing individuals riding crocodiles, seemingly engaged in a race, have been widely circulated on social media. These posts are often accompanied by captions asserting that the event is a crocodile racing competition in Sarawak, a state in Malaysia.
Images bearing such captions were widely shared across social media platforms, sparking reactions and comments from Khmer-speaking Facebook users. Many of these users genuinely believed that the event was an authentic crocodile racing competition exclusively held in Sarawak.
Below is a screenshot of a social media post dated March 11, 2025, featuring the caption: “Meanwhile in Sarawak, Malaysia.”
The same images were also shared with a Khmer caption, claiming they depicted a crocodile riding race held exclusively in Malaysia.
This post garnered significant attention from social media users, with many believing the images were authentic and captured during an actual crocodile racing event in Malaysia.
Below is a screenshot of a Facebook post from last week about a crocodile race, featuring the caption: “Want to invite friends and siblings to watch a crocodile race…”
The images and accompanying text were initially posted by the Facebook page South East Asian Gallery in early March.
Since then, the post has been shared nearly 5,000 times, sparking numerous comments from Facebook users questioning the authenticity of the images.
The crocodile racing footage was also shared on various social media platforms, including X (formerly known as Twitter), Threads, and Instagram—both of which are owned by Meta.
Below is a screenshot of a January 2025 post from the social media platform X, featuring an image of a crocodile race. The caption claims it depicts the 2025 International Crocodile Race.
Below is a screenshot of a late-January post on the social media platform Threads, featuring a caption in Malay asserting that the crocodile racing event was uniquely organized in Malaysia.
Below is a screenshot of a late-January post on Instagram, featuring a caption in Malay claiming that the event depicted is a crocodile race held in Malaysia.
Instagram Post | Archived Link
Due to the widespread sharing of similar images and claims on social media, additional examples can be found through the links provided here: Link 1 (archived), Link 2 (archived), and Link 3 (archived).
FACT CHECK
Fact Crescendo investigated and verified the claims mentioned above by conducting a Google Reverse Image Search, which yielded the following findings.
Using Google Reverse Image Search, we discovered an image of the crocodile racing ceremony shared in a social media group named Prompters Malaya on January 19, 2025.
The Facebook user who shared the image in the aforementioned social media group wrote in Malay that the Malaysian state of Sarawak would host the 2025 International Crocodile Race from February 29 to 31 — dates that do not exist on the 2025 calendar.
Below is a screenshot of a post shared in the social media group Prompters Malaya on January 19, 2025, clarifying that the crocodile racing event is not real.
These images were shared on Facebook on January 19 by a page named Wow To Sarawak, which clarified that they were entirely generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
Below is a screenshot of a social media post from January 19, 2025, featuring the caption “AI Highlights Kuching.”
To verify whether these images were generated by artificial intelligence, we analyzed them using various AI content analysis tools. The results confirmed that the images were indeed created by AI.
Below is a screenshot of the evaluation results from an AI content analysis website, confirming that the images were generated using artificial intelligence.
Amid the confusion among social media users regarding these images, the Malaysian news outlet Focus Malaysia (archived) published a fact-check article clarifying that the images did not depict real events in Sarawak, Malaysia, but were entirely generated by AI.
CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo concludes that the above claims are altered. The images depicting individuals riding crocodiles in a race do not represent real events in Sarawak, Malaysia. Instead, they were generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) program.
Title:AI-Generated Images Fuels Claims Sarawak Organized Crocodile Race
Fact Check By: Jay UdomResult: Altered
