Thursday, September 01, 2016

Hawk Throws Snake at Family Barbecue

The hawk just wanted some help grilling that snake

A viral video of a hawk appearing to drop a snake on a family visiting Australia, which sparked a debate over its authenticity, has been confirmed as a hoax. It was uploaded to YouTube by user Douglas Wong, 22, who claimed the hawk dropped the snake on his family as they enjoyed a BBQ in Melbourne, Australia.

Amid speculation it was created by Melbourne-based video production company The Woolshed Company, it has since been confirmed as fake.  It was created for Australian Football League club The Hawks (Hawthorn Football Club).

“It was quite incredible,” said a Hawthorn spokesperson.

“We wanted everyone to know that it’s September and the Hawks are on the attack and hopefully we’ve succeeded.

“Our aim was to create a real buzz around the launch of our seventh consecutive finals campaign and really get people talking. 

“The debate over its authenticity has been had by various media outlets across both Australia and the globe. Hopefully we haven’t scared too many people off a BBQ by the Yarra.”

The video racked up thousands of hits online within 24 hours of being uploaded, however online commentators and bird experts argued the clip was fake. A frame-by-frame analysis appeared to show that a ‘layer’ created during the apparent editing process had not been removed.

However Mr Wong [an alias] insisted the clip was real. “I’m from China and my uncle was visiting so we had a barbecue to show him the Australian ways,” he told BuzzFeed News. Experts from the Australian Wildlife Park also told BuzzFeed the footage could be real, adding the hawk could have been bitten by the snake.

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