No, lions didn't escape the Nashville Zoo. The real origins of that photo on social media
No lions have escaped from the Nashville Zoo this week, or any zoo for that matter.
A post started circulating Wednesday on Facebook claiming that two escaped lions from the Nashville Zoo were spotted on a trail camera. The post was shared thousands of times and led to a chain of misinformation.
Did lions escape from the Nashville Zoo?
No, the Nashville Zoo does not have any lions. " A photo post went viral yesterday on Facebook reaching well over 5k shares saying two lions escaped from Nashville Zoo. The information is false," said Mallory Immel, Nashville Zoo's communication specialist.
"We reported the post as False Information on Facebook and contacted the guy who made the post and asked him to take it down," Immel said. As of Thursday morning, it appears the post has been deleted, Immel said.
"If a post is made that seems fishy, we encourage people to always check our Nashville Zoo social media pages or website. These are the channels where we communicate with our guests and share important information."
Did lions escape from any zoo?
No, the lions in the photograph are not from the Indianapolis Zoo or Jackson Zoo either. A post shared on a Facebook page Wednesday evening had gathered more than 20,000 shares by 9:15 a.m. Thursday.
The photo in both posts shows a male and female lion; there is currently no male lion in Indianapolis.
"All of our animals are safe and sound," Emily Garrett, director of Public Relations for the Indianapolis Zoo told IndyStar Thursday.
Where did the lion photo come from?
A reverse image search revealed that the photo is from a wildlife camera in South Africa. The photo was shared by Wildlife ACT, a conservation group that monitors wildlife, like the lions in the photo.
On May 26, 2015, the photo was shared on their blog.
The motive of the individual who shared the photo on Facebook is unknown, but it is important to remember you can't believe everything you see shared on social media.
Lions have escaped a zoo in recent history, but it was in Australia
Yes, on Nov. 2, 2022 four lion cubs and an adult male lion escaped their enclosure at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia.
The zoo went into lockdown and staff and visitors sheltered until the lions were returned to their enclosure.
Katie Wiseman is a trending and breaking news intern at IndyStar. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Nashville Zoo: Lions did not escape. Where the rumor started.
