Numerous social media users have falsely claimed that a video showing the rescue of a dog and her two puppies by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is related to the massive landslide that struck Wayanad, Kerala, on July 30.
The claim states "Big salute to the NDRF team. A dog and her two puppies rescued from Landslide in Wayanad."
BOOM found that the viral video is not recent but actually dates back to a landslide that occurred in Palakkad, Kerala, in 2021.
Search operations are currently underway across six zones in the landslide-affected areas to locate missing persons. According to news reports, over 300 people have died, and approximately 218 are suspected to be missing.
Fact-check
BOOM conducted a reverse image search on Google which led us to news reports regarding the rescue of the dog and her puppies by the Manorama Online on October 13, 2021, The News Minute and the New Indian Express on October 14, 2021.
Further, the same video was also uploaded on Newsflare, a news video uploading platform on October 15, 2021.
The incident took place in a border village of Palakkad-Malappuram districts near Kanjirathani of Kumaranelloor, per news reports.
According to a couple's account reported by the media, the dog and her two puppies were buried under the mud in a minor landslide in Palakkad district. They were rescued three days later with the help of an animal rescuer who assisted in freeing them from the mud.
In the video shared by local residents, the mother dog is seen poking her head out as soon as a small portion of the mud was cleared. She then started wailing desperately. Her puppies were lying close to her. The residents pulled them out, cleaned them, and provided food and water.
"We heard a wailing sound of a dog in this area for three days. There was a minor landslide due to the rains and they were trapped under the mud. We could hear only the muffled sounds. We dug out the mud a bit and saw the dog's head. When we dug further, we saw six pups. However, only two of the pups survived. Now, the mother dog and her surviving babies have regained health and they are safe," Ashraf, who runs a shop in a village bordering the Palakkad-Malappuram districts of Kerala told the media.