“Trans species man who self-identifies as a deer accidentally shot by hunters.”

What looks like a shocking news headline circulating on social media originated on a site that publishes fiction. 

“Trans species man who self-identifies as a deer accidentally shot by hunters,” reads a screenshot of the fabricated story that features an image of what looks like a person dressed like a buck. “A South Carolina man who self-identifies as a deer has been transported to the hospital via helicopter after being shot by two hunters.” 

An Instagram post sharing the screenshot was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The undated story appears to have been posted in fall 2020 on World News Daily Report, which describes itself as a satire site. 

“World News Daily Report assumes all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content,” reads a disclaimer at the bottom of the web page. “All characters appearing in the articles in this website — even those based on real people — are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any person, living, dead or undead, is purely a miracle.”

PolitiFact has previously debunked stories from the website that were taken out of context on social media. Claims that this story is authentic are Pants on Fire.