Fake or real? That’s what many have been asking on watching the viral video of an otter near the Atal Setu in Navi Mumbai. People either mistook it for a seal, or labelled the video as AI’s handiwork. And that’s because most Mumbaikars don’t know that the city’s coastline is often visited by otters. This one in the video, in particular, seems to be a smooth-coated otter, a Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act 2022. 

The disconnect from wildlife in and around the city can be seen in the comment section with statements like, “Anything is possible with AI and photoshop”, while another says, “It’s a seal, look at his body movement”.