Painted dog mistaken for a leopard in Kagiso. Photo: Thabs Mabe/ Facebook
A ‘leopard’ reportedly on the loose has caused fearful residents of Kagiso and surrounding areas to constantly watch over their backs.
Painted dog mistaken for a leopard in Kagiso. Photo: Thabs Mabe/ Facebook
A ‘leopard’ reportedly on the loose has caused fearful residents of Kagiso and surrounding areas (Gauteng) to constantly watch over their backs for days on end.
A post went viral on Facebook alerting residents to be cautious of an animal that resembled features of a leopard in the area.
The panic about the situation was exacerbated by the South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Center which posted the warning on its social media prior to the verification of the animal.
“We have received reports of a leopard in the area shown on the map. Please do NOT approach if seen! Kindly contact one of the numbers below so we can ensure it and humans remain safe,” the South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Center post read.
However, after hours of searching, it turned out to be nothing close to the wild animal, instead an attention-seeking individual decided to trick the residents by painting a dog with leopard prints and letting it loose.
Although some found it humorous, others saw this as unnecessary and deemed it as animal abuse. To this effect, it has been reported that the perpetrator is being wanted by authorities for violating the rights of the animal.
This is how you can spot this wild animal, courtesy of Bushwise.