The Real Story Behind This Viral Pic Shared By Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

The photo is from the 1958 Algerian War

There have been many memes used to describe those not following safety guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a wide range of memes to pick from, there is one photo that the Internet keeps bringing up time and again. The meme in question purportedly features a soldier carrying a donkey on his back through a minefield, lest it should step on a mine. The donkey is used as a metaphor for those who choose to ignore warnings during a time of crisis. The latest personality to share this meme is the chairperson of Biocon Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. A good analogy from World War II pic.twitter.com/ooHlhPvJkU The picture is widely claimed to have been taken during World War II. But digging a little deeper revealed that is not the case. According to a report on the fact-checking website Snopes, the photo has nothing to do with the World War, or donkeys stepping on mines, or even minefields for that matter. The report stated that the photo is, in fact, from the 1958 Algerian War and it shows a donkey who was rescued by one of the members of the French Foreign Legion. The soldier carried the animal to their base and provided it with necessary medical aid. The donkey was later named "Bambi" and they adopted it as a unit mascot.