How KWS responded to false lion alarm in Meru village
An image of a lion on a paper bag in Kiangua location of South Imenti caused panic and fear among residents.
The wildlife agency has explained how rangers responded to the call of a 'lion' spotted in a Meru village.
The Kenya Wildlife Service said on Thursday that they received numerous calls from locals in Kiangua, Meru County alerting them that a 'lion' was hiding in a hedge in a compound.
A team was quickly dispatched to the scene to mitigate a possible human-wildlife conflict.
The image of a lion on a paper bag caused panic and fear among residents, bringing the village to a standstill. The 'lion' looked like it was ready to attack, sending the entire village into a panic mode.
French retail giant Carrefour decided to ride on the social media wave that the incident sparked.
Kenyans online have also been having a field day with the incident all day coming up with funny narrations of the events.
According to Kiangua assistant chief Basti Mwandiki, a resident who spotted the ‘paper lion’ 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.
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.
“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.
