Ben Ankiel was hiking in Sedona, Arizona, when, suddenly, a group of javelinas (called a “squadron”) showed up to crash the party. Ankiel starting filming his and his hiking partner’s reactions to the sudden swarm of animals before turning the camera to the javelinas.
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Except, is everything as it seems here? Astute observers note that multiple javelinas merge into one javelina at one point in the video, making Ankiel’s caption, which references the Sedona vortex, make a lot more sense. Reactions to the video are mixed. Some people take it at face value, while others are calling Ankiel’s bluff.
[RELATED: When the Outdoors Invades: Javelinas Break Into Arizona Home]
“That’s a huge squadron. You are very lucky!” wrote one person in the comments section.
Many others call the video out for being either generated or enhanced by AI.
“Why fake this? What gain was there?” asks one person.
When I came across the video, I thought the same thing as the commenter above. Were there really javelinas there (maybe just a few), or is the whole thing a fabrication? Ankiel has posted AI content before, but most of the people viewing the video for the first time wouldn’t know that unless they investigated.
For those of us who enjoy watching folks’ authentic wildlife moments on social media, this trend is disheartening. If you (like most of us) are occasionally fooled by enhanced videos online, here’s a thoughtful guide on spotting fake wildlife videos: https://scz.org/blog/the-reality-of-ai-animal-content.
Check out a squadron of fake javelinas in Sedona, Arizona. Did this one fool you?
What do you think about this trend?
Header stock image of Sedona, Arizona by John Piekos/Getty Images
