Issue 147 - February 2013 (1st Edition) - Page 19

Google Street View and the Donkey

Outline
Widespread speculation on the Internet suggests that the Google Street View car knocked over and possibly killed a donkey while driving down a bush road in Botswana.

Brief Analysis
No, Google did not run over a donkey as claimed. The donkey is alive and well. Google Maps has published further images (see detailed analysis below) that clearly show that the donkey was simply lying on the roadway , but got up and moved to safety as the vehicle approached. The fact that vehicles in Botswana drive on the left hand side of the road rather than the right has caused some viewers to mistakenly conclude that the vehicle was moving away from the prone donkey rather than towards it.

Detailed analysis and references below example.

Last updated: January 17, 2013
First published: January 17, 2013
Article written by Brett M. Christensen and Matthew Christensen
Research by Matthew Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer

Example

Did Google Kill a Donkey In Botswana?

Google Street View car suspected of of donkey hit-and-run in Botswana:

Images: Google Street View Kweneng, Botswana

Detailed Analysis
A spate of "news" articles and irate social media messages have recently speculated that the Google Street View car may have hit and killed a donkey while traveling down a country road in Botswana. As evidence, these reports put forward the above images, which in the order that they are displayed, might appear - at least at first glance - to show the hapless donkey being knocked over and left for dead by the approaching Google Street View vehicle.

However, the speculation is unfounded. The donkey was not killed or even hit by the Street View vehicle. In response to the speculation, Google Maps has published a blog article that includes images of the donkey in the correct order. The article notes:

Over the last 24-hours concerned members of the public and the media have been speculating on the fate of a donkey pictured in Street View in the Kweneng region of Botswana.

Because of the way our 360-degree imagery is put together, it looked to some that our car had been involved in an unseemly hit and run, leaving the humble beast stranded in the road.

As our imagery below shows, the donkey was lying in the path - perhaps enjoying a dust bath - before moving safely aside as our car drove past. I’m pleased to confirm the donkey is alive and well.

Images 1 & 2: our car, driving on the left hand side, approaches the donkey lying down in the road.

Image 3: the donkey gets up and moves aside.

Image 4: a shot taken from the back of our car shows the curious animal back on its feet.

Concerned viewers can check for themselves by examining the Google Streetview photographs of the (non) incident.

It appears that some people may have mistakenly concluded that the vehicle was moving away from the donkey as it lay on the roadway rather than towards it because they assumed that the vehicle was driving on the right side of the road. In fact, vehicles in Botswana travel on the left hand side of the road.

So, basically much ado about nothing and fueled by shoddy journalism from supposed "news" outlets that should know better - or willfully put circulation and sales above secondary considerations such as the truth.

References
Never ass-ume
Google Streetview Kweneng
Botswana - Transportation

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