AI-generated images of snakes hamper rescue calls, diverts resources from legitimate requests

An image of Central Asian Cobra look-alike from Hayathnagar. Photo: Special Arrangement AI-generated images of snakes sent by people hampered rescue operations of a Hyderabad-based organisation. Pranksters or those who wanted to take a leave or break from work, if otherwise not permitted, made hoax calls and sent such photos. There is also another category of people, which is an exception: those who spotted a snake but sent AI-generated image after the reptile slithered under furniture at their home or inaccessible corner.Besides diverting time, human resources, effort, fuel and other valuable resources from legitimate emergency situations, hoax calls accompanied with such images erode the trust between such organisations and people. It also creates panic in society, said Friends of Snakes Society (FoSS).Increase in AI-generated imagesMembers of the society started receiving requests on their 24/7 helpline (+918374233366) from the beginning of the year, supported by images generated using AI tools. From around 5-10 such images a month till June-end, the numbers shot up. Now, the rescue teams are receiving multiple AI-generated images a day.Why are photos asked for?Avinash Visvanathan, general secretary of the society, said that they ask for photos to understand the situation and bring necessary tools for the rescue. “We understand snakes are not always found in easily accessible areas where a photo can be clicked,” he said.Though images are screened, they do not dismiss callers. The common cause found for use of AI tools to generate images was when people saw a snake but the reptiles slipped under furniture or stones or bricks. As the rescue teams ask for photographs, the callers generated AI images that resemble the snake they saw.Mr. Avinash said that those who want to pull a prank do so without thorough understanding of the reptiles. “The snakes in such images are often exotic. The experience in rescuing the snakes, knowledge of existing fauna and its distribution help us in spotting AI-generated images,” he said.One of the volunteers with FoSS, Nikhil Gourishetty, said that responding to a call a few days ago about an Andaman Bronzeback by the side of a motorbike, he travelled over 20 kilometres to Bandlaguda. They could not spot the reptile after searching for over 10 minutes. When people asked the caller, he confided to have generated the image for fun. During this time, another person who requested to rescue a snake was waiting in another locality. However, exotic species are not the sole factor to dismiss a call as there have been stray incidents of exotic reptiles found outside. In March 2024, they rescued a green iguana which was perched on a mango tree at Dilsukhnagar.They check the images for biological aspects. Abnormal length, girth, or other aspects alert them. AI-assisted image analysis tools are used when they are undecided after visual inspection. They ask for more images from other angles too.Mr. Avinash said that fake wildlife emergencies had real-world consequences, and rescuing snakes is an emergency service that protects both people and animals. Published - July 31, 2026 08:28 pm IST