Lit by a camera-trap flash and the glow of urban Mumbai, a leopard prowls the edge of India’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park. PHOTO | COURTESY

A picture that has been making rounds on Facebook and Twitter claims a leopard was spotted in two neighbouring Nairobi suburbs, namely: Runda and Rosslyn is FALSE.

The claim which was shared by among others (Newsday Kenya) on Facebook on June 5, 2024 was also shared on X by blogger Cyprian Nyakundi  where it has so far received over 1,300 likes and garnered over 206,000 views.

Runda and Rosslyn suburbs are situated next to Karura Forest misspelt in the image as “Kurura”. The Forest has about 50 km of pathway for visitors to walk and or cycle through.

According to the Kenya biodiversity network Karura Forest is home to several bird species, small antelopes such as Harvey’s Duiker and bushbuck as well as bush pigs, monkeys, squirrels, hares, fruit bats, various reptiles and butterflies.

VERIFICATION

A google lens search revealed that the image was first published in 2015 by NatGeo Wild, a TV channel that primarily focuses on wildlife.

The picture was captioned “Lit by a camera-trap flash and the glow of urban Mumbai, a leopard prowls the edge of India’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park.”

Further investigations revealed that the Kenya Wildlife Service – the state corporation entrusted with tracking, capturing and protecting wildlife, people, and property – had no reports of a leopard sighting in that area.

Extensive searches on KWS website and social media accounts showed reports of other wildlife captured in Nairobi but none matched with the claim.

VERDICT

While the photograph of the leopard is authentic, it was not taken in Nairobi but in India. Also there have been no reported incidents of a leopard sighting in the area.

This fact-check was produced by Mwangi Githahu with technical support from Code for Africa through the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA).