A BLACK-AND-WHITE "camera trap" image of an orangutan cradling a clouded leopard cub, with another clouded leopard nearby has gone viral on social media.
The post also claims that the orangutan "mothered" the two leopard cubs for 11 weeks.
Did such an incident really happen in Sabah as claimed?
Verdict:
FALSE
The Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) has debunked the claim, saying the image is fake, prompting a warning from conservationists over the growing misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in wildlife content.
It said the image was falsely attributed to a researcher identified as "Dr Amelia Toh-Ramirez", a person who does not exist within the organisation.
DGFC director Benoit Goossens said the image was not only misleading but also depicted a biologically impossible interaction.
"While the image may look heartwarming, it is not grounded in reality.
"In the wild, orangutans and clouded leopards do not 'cuddle'.
"Clouded leopards are natural predators and such an encounter would be dangerous, not photogenic," he said in a statement on Friday (May 1).
He added that the spread of AI-generated images risks undermining legitimate conservation work carried out by researchers in the field.
"Real conservationists spend months in the jungle to capture authentic data. Images like these create false narratives and can mislead the public about wildlife behaviour.
"When something looks too good to be true, it usually is," he said.
