Rescue videos receive millions of views online but they are often staged and cause serious psychological and physical harm to the animals.
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00:00 be suffocated by snakes or dogs tied up on railroad tracks before being rescued just
00:05 in time. These types of rescue videos have received millions of views on social media,
00:11 but they hide a dark pattern of abuse. Let`s get down to the truth behind these popular
00:17 videos.
00:22 You may have seen clips like these on your YouTube or TikTok feed recently. Each time,
00:28 a human rescuer seems to arrive just in time to save the animal. But be careful, because
00:34 these videos are most likely staged. How can you tell? Well, we asked the question to Nina
00:39 Jackal, who has been tracking animal cruelty videos on social media.
00:43 And you can often identify the same animals being used again and again, which is one way
00:48 to spot a dubious channel, for one thing. And the situations are just so unlikely, and
00:56 yet these filmmakers seem to find them again and again and again. You know, and it`s possible
01:02 for a legitimate rescue to stumble on an animal in desperate need occasionally, but not all
01:10 the time. And if that`s the only thing that channel is posting, that`s a pretty good sign
01:15 that that`s a fake rescue channel.
01:17 But many social media users are still being duped into believing that these scenarios
01:21 are legitimate. These fake rescue videos can actually cause extreme physical and psychological
01:27 harm to all of the animals involved. So, why do people force animals into such dangerous
01:33 or harmful situations? Well, it`s to get as many clicks as possible and to make money.
01:38 By posting something that gets millions of clicks on social media, someone could potentially
01:43 make thousands of euros. In March 2021, YouTube announced that it would ban fake animal rescue
01:49 videos. But since then, more than 100 have been posted and hundreds have still not been
01:54 deleted according to tracking from Lady Freethinker, a U.S.-based animal welfare nonprofit. What
02:01 should you do if you see one of these videos on your feed?
02:04 First of all, report it using that platform`s online reporting system. As hard as it is
02:10 not to share, don`t do it. I know that we have this instinct to want to show everybody
02:15 a look, like, look at this horrible video I saw. But when you do that, you actually
02:19 get them more views, which potentially gets them more money. Don`t share. If you - you
02:26 know, if you can, don`t even watch it. If someone shares one with you, don`t click play.
02:32 You want to interact as little as you can with the video while reporting it to the platform.
02:38 For more fact checks and investigations, check out our website, euronews.com.
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