Kenya: Meru County locals complain of lion sighting; false alarm leads to paper bag

A false alarm for a lion sighting in Kenya sent wildlife officers into a goose chase after it was reported by villagers. Later, the sighting turned out to be a print of a lion's picture on a supermarket bag. The sighting was reported by residents of Meru County, located just a kilometre from Mt Kenya National Park. 

On Thursday, the locals of Meru County alerted the Kenya Wildlife Services about a “lion” hiding in the bushes. The Kenya Wildlife Service took to Facebook to share about the incident. They explained that as the officers tried to lure the supposed cat out of its hideout at the homestead in Mutiribu village, it was non-responsive. After a few tries, they discovered that it was a bag, placed by a homeowner who had put avocado seedlings in to prevent them from drying out. 

According to Kiangua assistant chief Basti Mwandiki, a resident who spotted the ‘paper tiger’ raised the alarm attracting residents who called the authorities. As per Nation Africa of Kenya,  “When I went there, I also believed it was a live lion. We kept a distance and out of fear we could not realise that it was a mere drawing. Our fears were buttressed by the fact that there has been a marauding wild animal that has killed many sheep in neighbouring Igoji East,” Mwandiki added. 

'We have been living in fear': Geto resident 

Kiangua assistant chief Basti Mwandiki said that the officers had to climb to the rooftop of a nearby house to get a closer look. And this was when they found that it was not a lion much to the relief of locals. Moreover, Muteti Rwiro a resident of Geto village in Igoji east told that he lost seven sheep to a ravaging wild animal in February. He added that an unidentified animal resurfaced three weeks ago and killed several sheep in the neighbourhood.

“The KWS has been setting up traps in the area but no animal has been caught. We have been living in fear,” Rwiro said, as per Nation Africa of Kenya.

However, the Kenya Wildlife Services urged the residents of Meru to enjoy the magnificent wildlife that the park has to offer such as lions, the endangered Grevy’s Zebra, and many more. Moreover, sharing about the incident on Facebook, the Kenya Wildlife Service lauded the public for their alertness as it shared the toll-free number for immediate assistance.

"Despite this being a false alarm, we laud the public for raising an alarm in order to mitigate a possible conflict", the statement read on the Facebook post.

The post prompted several reactions, "You should laud the locals for being able to solve human-animal conflict amicably. To eradicate such misinformation it's vital your set at least one day per year where the entrance fee is zero rated to allow near visibility... (sic)", a user wrote. A second user expressed, "Well done KWS for the quick response and the sense of humor (sic)". 

(Image: @KenyaWildlifeService/Facebook)