Hawk throwing snake viral video is fake, Hawthorn claims responsibility
Vision of a hawk throwing a snake onto a family hosting a picnic in Melbourne has been confirmed as fake, with the Hawthorn Football Club claiming responsibility.
The club came up with the idea to 'Embrace the Hunt' as a bid to promote its upcoming final with Geelong next weekend, and had the video posted onto YouTube on Tuesday.
Within a matter of hours, the video went viral with more than five million views. The vision was also picked up by news outlets across the globe.
But on Thursday the club confirmed what the experts had said - the video is a fake.
"Hawthorn’s media team partnered with Melbourne production company, The Woolshed, in an attempt to create a video that would encapsulate the club’s finals theme and generate widespread media coverage," a Hawthorn spokesperson said.
“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."
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On Wednesday Sean Dooley, the editor of Australian Birdlife magazine, told The Age he believed the video was not real.
"(Hawks) rarely take snakes and I would be surprised that a young bird would have that skill," he said.
"Even more damning is that the silver gull in the foreground does not move an inch as the eagle approaches to catch the snake or when it drops it."
Hawthorn admitted it filmed the Yarra River footage and then later added in the hawk and then the snake to get the video online.
“The debate over its authenticity has been had by various media outlets across both Australia and the globe," a Hawthorn spokesperson said.
“Hopefully we haven’t scared too many people off a BBQ by the Yarra.”
The club said it also cheekily put a Geelong Cats sticker on the family esky as a pointer to the upcoming final.
