Conservationists warn AI-generated wildlife visuals distort public perceptions and put both animals and people at risk

Hyper-realistic AI-generated images of wild animals behaving like pets — including viral images debunked by AFP fact-checkers of elephants climbing trees and pink dolphins leaping — are circulating widely on Facebook, TikTok and X and are fuelling dangerous misconceptions, conservationists warn. Zoology professor Jose Guerrero-Casado of Spain's University of Cordoba cited a January incident in Xinjiang where a woman was attacked by a rare snow leopard after approaching it too closely, shortly after China's forestry department stepped up patrols and warned the public to keep their distance. WWF researcher Jenny Roberts said fake content 'desensitises' people to genuine wildlife imagery, while Born Free researcher Chris Lewis said the visuals increase demand for wild animals to be used as tourism photo props or kept as pets.