Fact Check: Did Vladimir Putin Release 800 Tigers, Lions To Enforce Lockdown In Russia?

There is something about Vladimir Putin and tigers. No matter what, if you put these two in one sentence, the story will go viral! This time around, the Russian President is making 'news' globally for enforcing the coronavirus lockdown in a most bizarre way! The social media is flooded with claims about Putin releasing 800 tigers and lions to enforce the shutdown. Many people shared a photo that showed a lion roaming in the city. Netizens claimed that it was a big cat on the prowl in Moscow. 'So Putin really released 800 lions and tigers to enforce the lockdown in Russia. MAN,' said a Twitter user. " waiting to hear people who breached lockdown in Russia to go to the streets being killed and eaten by tigers," said another. (Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates)

So what is the truth? Did Putin release the big cats? Is that a scene from Moscow? Well, it might have sounded very dramatic, but the truth is much simpler. The fact is - Russia never released tigers and lions to enforce lockdown. Yes, we all know Putin's love for tigers. But this time around, the powerful Russian president didn't use his furry friends to enforce the lockdown. And what about that lion in the city pic? Wondering about that? Well, we will reveal the truth behind that photo also.  The photo is NOT from Moscow. A simple image search will tell you the real story. It is from Johannesburg, South Africa. The incident is from 2016. Here is the https://metro.co.uk of that time, which was used by some users on social media to make false claims about tigers in Russia lockdown. 

According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus trackers, Russian has recorded 1,534 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections with 8 deaths. World over, 34,005 people have lost their lives to the pandemic. The United States have most number of coronavirus cases in the world. India has also witnessed a sharp rise in the number of cases. Moscow's mayor announced strict isolation rules for the city from Monday, as coronavirus cases climbed in the Russian capital. The new restrictions would apply to all the city's residents, regardless of age, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement Sunday.

Residents of the capital will only be allowed to leave their homes in the case of a medical emergency, to travel to jobs judged essential by the authorities, and shop for food or medicines, the statement read. Previously, only Muscovites over the age of 65 were under orders to remain in their homes under rules that came into force last Monday. The new isolation rules would be policed by a "smart system of monitoring compliance," in what appeared to be a reference to a vast system of facial-recognition cameras in Moscow. "Gradually, but steadily, we will tighten the control necessary in this situation," said Sobyanin.

The new isolation measures will come into force the same day as Russia's borders close as part of increasingly stringent measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The country closed its borders to foreigners last week and grounded all international flights on Thursday as part of increasingly stringent measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Russia.

(With agency inputs)