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Creatures, Myths & Legends

Scottish hoax fools visitors into believing that haggis is a real creature

By T.K. Randall
January 27, 2025 · Comment icon 16 comments
Wild haggis
A wild haggis... or is it ? Image Credit: Haggis Wildlife Foundation
Haggis is a delicacy in Scotland, especially at this time of the year, but have you ever seen one in the wild ?
Confusion over exactly what a haggis actually is has been at the center of a recent hoax in which images of alleged haggises (haggi ?) have been appearing all over social media to coincide with Burns Night - an annual knees-up in honor of celebrated Scottish poet Robert Burns.

On this particular day (January 25th) it is customary to dine on this popular Scottish delicacy.

But what exactly is a haggis and where does it come from ?

Contrary to what has been suggested by the plethora of AI-generated images on social media of wild haggises roaming the Scottish wilderness in recent days, haggis is actually a mixture of sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs) mixed with oats, onion and spices, all contained inside a sheep's stomach.
It might not sound particularly appetizing, but it's actually quite nice.

Hoaxes involving haggis being portrayed as an actual wild animal native to the Scottish Highlands have been around for years, but thanks to the advent of AI-generated images, producing alleged photographs of these rare 'animals' has become easier than ever.

Some of these portray them as large rodents covered in hair, while others resemble dark-colored sheep with long white hair on their heads.

There is even an official website for the completely nonsensical Haggis Wildlife Foundation.

No doubt this is one hoax that is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.



Source: Mail Online | Comments (16)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #7 Posted by Gumball 21 days ago
That picture there is obviously made up. They are a deep red colour with wild fiery eyes and human like teeth.
Comment icon #8 Posted by Still Waters 20 days ago
A Scottish friend of my brother brought a haggis to our house one day so we could all try it. I wasn't too keen at first considering how it's made but was pleasantly surprised when he dished it up at how tasty it was. Haggis are made using various recipes, I don't know which one we had but I remember it had a spicy taste.
Comment icon #9 Posted by Resume 19 days ago
That's not the only Scottish hoax currently fooling folks.
Comment icon #10 Posted by Dejarma 19 days ago
The clan were based/ originated in Scotland, this is true but the main clan moved to Essex in 1962. I've seen 6 in the past 30 years but they are fast critters-- no chance of bagging one! Secret London restaurants (kinda like the John Wick Continental situation) can pay up to 25 thousand pounds for a 4 year old mature male=== the ultimate delicacy! Theopold McTavish Johnson had what many would class as a superpower. He just knew where to aim! He's a multi millionaire because of it... That's all I know. And that IS fact 
Comment icon #11 Posted by Dejarma 19 days ago
no- you had fake haggis
Comment icon #12 Posted by Resume 19 days ago
The best recipe for haggis I ever heard was this: In a dutch oven over a slow burning campfire.  When you can almost feel the aroma, you pour it into the campfire, have a protein bar, and head to your tent.  The haggis will extiguish the fire, and the smell will send any bears in the area running. Please haggis fans, take a joke.
Comment icon #13 Posted by Dejarma 19 days ago
it's not real haggis @Resume the best haggis is the real thing bagged by Theopold McTavish Johnson...
Comment icon #14 Posted by Inn Spectre 18 days ago
Nothing new here; "hunting the haggis" is as old as the hills.
Comment icon #15 Posted by DieChecker 17 days ago
I've seen this floating around YouTube for a while and couldn't believe people thought these critters were real.
Comment icon #16 Posted by Unusual Tournament 4 days ago
Kinda dramatic and really not nice to degrade such a fine animal. I admit, I haven’t tried haggis but I have seen a tv chef prepare one and the ingredients are robust if not tasty. The pluck is boiled with the windpipe exposed and acting as a drainage pipe to remove the impurities then the whole lot is cut up into small pieces and mixed with oatmeal onion and a few spices. Basically it’s a stuffing.   It could certainly be improved if it had more spices and a sauce, either a Mexican of Indian chef would really do haggis justice. I’d add chillies, coriander and parsley, garlic, and a spi... [More]


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