False alarm: Meru village calls in KWS on paper bag lion
An image of a lion on a paper bag in Kiangua location of South Imenti caused panic and fear among residents, bringing Kinyana village to a standstill. The “lion” looked like it was ready to attack, sending the entire village into a panic mode.
Hot blooded young men in Meru usually swear and brag that ‘tutimakagua i simba e gucora’ (we cannot be scared by a drawing of a lion).
However, on Wednesday evening, an image of a lion on a paper bag in Kiangua location of South Imenti caused panic and fear among residents, bringing Kinyana village to a standstill. The “lion” looked like it was ready to attack, sending the entire village into a panic mode.
It took the intervention of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers who also took a lot of precaution to calm the villagers after plucking out the paper bag containing avocado seedlings from a live fence.
An image of a lion on a paper bag in Kiangua location of South Imenti caused panic and fear among residents.
According to Kiangua assistant chief Basti Mwandiki, a resident who spotted the ‘paper tiger’ raised the alarm attracting residents who called the authorities.
“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 neighboring Igoji East,” Mr Mwandiki said.
He said when KWS officers arrived, they also affirmed that the image was a real lion.
“The officers had to climb to the rooftop of a nearby house to get a closer look. This is when they discovered that it was not a wild animal much to the relief of locals,” he said.
According to Mr Muteti Rwiro a resident of Geto village in Igoji east, he lost seven sheep to a marauding wild animal in February.
He said the unidentified animal resurfaced three weeks ago and killed several sheep in the neighborhood.
“The KWS has been setting up traps in the area but no animal has been caught. We have been living in fear,” Mr Rwiro said.
Residents of Igoji were yet to clear the memories of a 2018 incident when a lioness terrorised them for about two months.
It took KWS rangers seven hours of chase to kill the lioness at Kinoro area after it turned violent even after being sedated.
The lioness was believed to have escaped from Meru National Park before finding its way to Igoji through Tharaka Nithi.
