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A man riding a motorbike loaded with matooke was seen in a series of images that were recently published on Facebook and Twitter.
The last image that was posted showed lions lounging next to a motorbike hauled high with matooke, but the man was nowhere to be found, which startled many and led them to believe that he had been devoured by the lions.
In the statement made public on Friday, UWA made it clear that the victim was not, as many have claimed, eaten by lions.
They said that after being told repeatedly not to enter the park by rangers, this individual persisted and entered it by the tourist vehicles.
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“Unfortunately, when he reached the tourist vehicles, they were stationed and tourists were taking pictures of the lions that had come to the road. When he attempted to hide behind the vehicles, the lions were also taking shelter around the vehicles and others under the vehicles,” the statement read.
It added: “At this stage, he had entered a critical zone of the lions, they scared him and he jumped on one of the tourist vehicles. Therefore, the man was not eaten by the lions as alleged on various social media platforms.”
UWA issued a warning to the general public, noting that while they work to ensure the safety of all visitors to the national parks, their efforts cannot guarantee the security of individuals who enter the parks without permission from park administration.
As a result, they pledged to keep warning the public about the risks associated with illegal entry into national parks.