As Amazon rainforest burns, some pictures circulating online are not from current blazes

August 23, 2019

Conservationists say the government’s encouraging deforestation for farming.

As parts of the Amazon rainforest burn. some of the most popular images circulating online are not from the current blazes. 

There is no doubt parts of the Amazon are on fire - Brazil's official monitoring agency is reporting a sharp increase in wildfires this year.

The growing threat to what some call "the lungs of the planet" has ignited a bitter dispute about who is to blame during the tenure of President Jair Bolsonaro who described Brazil's rainforest protections as an obstacle to economic development.

However, some images emerging of the out of control blazes are being linked to previous years and even completely different locations.

Actor and environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio posted a picture from last year’s blaze to his Instagram account.

Another image circulating is thirty years old.

Photos claiming to show the plight of animals are also misleading – with images from the 2018 California wildfires circulating on social media as well as other locations.

Deliberately lit fires in the Amazon are common at this time of year. The dry season continues for at least another two months and until then, so will the fires.

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