Kenya Wildlife Services(KWS) officers in Meru were concerned after they began to receive several phone calls from residents of the Kiangua location on Thursday, May 5 about a lion on the loose.
Officials were then dispatched to track down the big cat that was apparently hiding in a hedge in one of the villages in the county but what they found instead has left netizens amused.
“In an interesting turn of events, we received numerous reports from locals at Kiangua location, Meru County of a lion hiding in a hedge. KWS Meru team swiftly rushed to scene in a bid to mitigate a possible Human-Wildlife Conflict case,” their statement read.
KWS confirmed it was not a lion
When the officers arrived at the neighbourhood to capture the lion, they were confronted by a carrefour carrier bag whose design depicts a picture of a lion instead.
Amused officers took to social media to share a photograph of the ‘lion’ and talk about the incident.
“On arrival, KWS rangers were astonished to find out that the ‘alleged lion’ was a lion printed carrier bag. Despite this being a false alarm, we laud the public for raising an alarm in order to mitigate a possible conflict,” their statement read in parts.
“Kenya Wildlife Services(KWS) We also urge the residents of Meru to Zuru Meru National Park and enjoy the magnificent wildlife the park has to offer such as Lions, the endangered Grevy’s Zebra and many more.