NT Verdict
Verified Real
Viral video of elephant pulling man out of canal in Kerala is genuine — Forest Department confirms
The Claim Being Checked
“An elephant rescued a man who had fallen into a canal in Kerala by pulling him with its trunk”
What NT Found
The video shows Rajan, a Kerala Forest Department work elephant, using his trunk to pull a man named Suresh who slipped into the Chalakudy canal while photographing the elephant. The Kerala Forest Department Thrissur Division confirmed the incident, identified the mahout (Suresh Kumar), and noted Rajan is known for his calm temperament after 30 years of work with the department.
NT Verdict
Verified Real
Kerala Forest Department confirmed the incident at Chalakudy canal. The mahout is a named department employee.
How We Verified This
Step 1 — Detection
Content flagged after crossing 11.2M views on YouTube on Apr 7, 2026. NT's monitoring system triggered a verification queue entry. Assigned to NT Fact Desk.
Evidence 1
Kerala Forest Department Thrissur Division confirmed incident on April 6, 2026 at 14:30 IST
Evidence 2
Mahout identified as Suresh Kumar, Forest Department Chalakudy Range, employee since 1998
Evidence 3
Rescued man Suresh Pillai gave statement to NT confirming events
Evidence 4
Geographic features in video match Chalakudy canal coordinates from Google Maps satellite view
Final Verdict
Verified Real — Kerala Forest Department confirmed the incident at Chalakudy canal. The mahout is a named department employee.
Sources Consulted
3 sourcesKerala Forest Department Thrissur Division
official
Chalakudy Range Forest Office
official
NT field reporter, Thrissur
media
How we verified this: NT's fact-checkers use reverse image/video search, EXIF metadata analysis, official records, direct source outreach, and where relevant, AI-detection tools. All verdicts undergo two-editor review before publication. Corrections published within 24 hours. Read our full methodology →
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