Fact Check: Were a group of Whales spotted near the 'Bombay High' Oil Rig?

As soon as the coronavirus lockdown started in different countries, videos showing that animals are coming to the streets have popped up social media portals. Such types of posts claim that these animals have come out after looking at the absence of human beings. Similarly, a recent viral video shows that whales were spotted in Bombay High's oil rig. 

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Claim:

People have shared on their social media portals a video that shows whales coming on the surface of the water. These posts claim that the whales were seen at the Bombay High's oil rig. The video shows a whale swimming in the water and then another one coming out of it, as its shiny skin glistens under the sunlight. The Mumbai High Field is an offshore oilfield which is located some 176 km off the coast of Mumbai.

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Rating: Fake

A simple reverse image search with the use of some snippets of the video shows that the video is not from the Mumbai High Field. The video was posted in August 2019 by a user on YouTube. The video shows Nusa Penida, which is an island located in the southeast region of Indonesia's Bali.

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The video is from Indonesia, Bali taken in 2019

Origin:

A video of whales being spotted in Mumbai is getting viral on social media but it is fake. A news source from Indonesia had also tweeted about the whales and the video in the year 2019. The news source informs that the video shows a group of humpback whales crossing the Karimunjawa sea. They also shared that the Indonesian waters are not the annual immigration path of the whales so it was a delight and treat for the people who witnessed the scene. 

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This is not the first time that posts like these were shared on social media. People have claimed to spot various animals on the streets after the lockdown. When it comes to Mumbai, in real news, peacocks were spotted roaming around the streets near Hanging Gardens.

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