In Kenya, villagers mistake a plastic bag for a lion.

On Wednesday, locals in Kinyana hamlet in Meru county, central Kenya, were alarmed because they thought a lion was lurking in a flower hedge.

A farm laborer at a property observed the alleged lion and alerted authorities. Authorities were alerted, and wildlife wardens were dispatched.

The feared large cat turned out to be a lion image printed on a plastic shopping bag.

According to the BBC, the owner of the property returned last week with avocado seeds in a plastic bag after attending a farmer training session in Muranga town, which is around 140 kilometers (87 miles) away.

She intended to put the seedlings "in a position where they wouldn't dry out" when she arrived, and she ended up putting the bag between her house and a flower hedge.

On Wednesday afternoon, a farm laborer returning from cutting grass for livestock spotted what he thought was a lion and alerted authorities.

The Mount Kenya National Park is roughly a kilometer away from the residence.

"Visitors arrived to see what was going on. Because you couldn't get close to it, many people thought it was a lion. "I arrived as well and saw what appeared to be a lion, though I had my reservations," Mr Mbijiwe said.

To the relief of the assembled residents, the home owner was summoned and she described the contents of the shopping bag.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) wardens were deployed to the homestead, and the agency said it would publish a more thorough statement later.

Social media has been flooded with photos of the shopping spree.