Locals in Kenyan village raise alarm after carry bag mistaken for stray lion

How will you react if you spot a lion near your home? Obviously, it sets alarms off when you see a wildcat.

A similar incident happened in Kenya last week when residents of Kiangua village were left terrified after spotting what looked like a stray lion hiding in the bushes.

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They quickly called the forest department, however, when they reached the spot it turned out to be nothing but a shopping bag.

The photos shared by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) show why the scene caused panic among locals. The uncanny resemblance of the photo printed on the bag to that of a wild lioness is riveting.

Taking to Twitter, the agency revealed that it had received numerous reports from locals at Kiangua, Meru County of the animal “hiding in a hedge”.

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. pic.twitter.com/spiYlpNNso

— Kenya Wildlife Service (@kwskenya) May 5, 2022

But on arrival, KWS rangers were astonished to find out that the alleged lion was a lion printed carrier bag.

Despite the false alarm, the Kenya Wildlife Service lauded “the public for raising an alarm in order to mitigate a possible conflict”.

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According to reports, the bag was placed among some bushes in a hedge, when a passing farmhand saw the big cat’s ‘face’ and feared an entire lion was hiding in the undergrowth, ready to pounce.

He raised the alarm after spotting what he thought was a lion just outside his employer’s home.