The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on March 21, 2020 in an Instagram post: Says Russia unleashed more than 500 lions on its streets to ensure that people are staying indoors during this pandemic outbreak. ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"pants- fire\\"](\\" * Fake news * Facebook Fact-checks * Coronavirus * Instagram posts ![\\"Samantha](\\" By Samantha Putterman March 24, 2020 # No, Russia didn’t release lions to enforce COVID-19 stay-at-home orders #### If Your Time is short * Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t resorted to releasing lions in order to keep people inside during the COVID-19 pandemic. See the sources for this fact-check Well, that’s one way to do it. Posts online claim that in an attempt to \"ensure\" people stay indoors during the COVID-19 outbreak, Russia has turned to lions. Hundreds of them. A now-deleted Instagram post by an account called \"Barstoolnewsnet\" featured what appears to be a screenshot of a news broadcast reporting \"BREAKING NEWS\" that Russia \"unleashed more than 500 lions on its streets to ensure that people are staying indoors during this pandemic outbreak.\" ![](\\" Below that a news ticker says, \"Vladmir (sic) Putin released around 500 lions to make people stay indoors.\" Several similar versions of the post have also been shared on Facebook. But none of it is true. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 22, 2024 in Facebook posts Jason Aldean rejected a $500 million music collaboration with Taylor Swift. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • August 26, 2024 The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) Many public gathering spaces in Russia are closed, and Moscow has asked elderly people to stay home for several weeks. But Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t threatened people with five years’ jail time for violating stay- at-home orders, as some posts claim. And he hasn’t released lions, tigers or bears to keep people home during the pandemic. The broadcast screenshot was made on a news generator website, and the photo of the lion is from a 2016 movie shoot in South Africa, not Russia. We searched for the source of the image and came across the news generator website \"Break Your Own News,\" which allows people to create their own television chyrons. The generator’s configuration is identical to the screenshot in the social media posts, and Check Your Fact reported it found the website’s watermark on one of the postings. A reverse-image search showed that the photo of the lion is from an April 2016 movie shoot in Johannesburg. The lion (his name is Columbus) had reportedly been borrowed from a nearby lion park for the filming, and the area was fenced off. Lions have not been tapped by Russia to enforce stay-at-home recommendations. Pants on Fire! #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Instagram post, March 22, 2020 BreakingYourOwnNews, generator, March 24, 2020 Tin Eye, Reverse-image search, March 24, 2020 Check Your Fact, FACT CHECK: DID RUSSIA LET OVER 500 LIONS LOOSE TO KEEP PEOPLE INDOORS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC?, March 24, 2020 Daily Mail, Paws at the traffic lights! Giant male lion is seen prowling around the streets of South Africa\'s biggest city (but it\'s not as dangerous as you\'d think), April 15, 2016 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Samantha Putterman ![](\\" ![](\\" Yes on 4 stated on September 10, 2024 in a TV ad: Florida’s six-week abortion law has “no real exceptions. Not for her health. Not even for rape.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • September 13, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on August 28, 2024 in an ad: Project 2025 would defund K-12 schools. ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • September 6, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Elizabeth Warren stated on August 25, 2024 in an interview: “JD Vance actually sent a letter last year to the Department of Justice saying, ‘enforce the Comstock Act.’” ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Samantha Putterman • August 30, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron DeSantis stated on August 28, 2024 in a press conference: The proposal to put golf courses, hotels in Florida state parks “was something that was leaked. … a lot of that stuff was half-baked and was not ready for prime time.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • August 29, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Rick Scott stated on August 28, 2024 in a post on X: “This month alone, more than 16,000 non-citizens have been removed from the voter rolls in 3 states.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • August 29, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Debbie Mucarsel-Powell stated on August 7, 2024 in un anuncio de radio de campaña: El senador Rick Scott no apoya las excepciones al aborto. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Marta Campabadal Graus • August 16, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Debbie Mucarsel-Powell stated on August 7, 2024 in an ad: Sen. 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Says Russia unleashed more than 500 lions on its streets to ensure that people are staying indoors during this pandemic outbreak