The driver’s photo hit the internet within minutes, a grainy silhouette against a gray sky. Commenters dissected every pixel: Definitely her. Fake—too blurry. Yet the fear was real. Parents checked locks twice, and children whispered lion stories at bedtime. Every shadow seemed alive, every rustle a predator hiding in plain sight.
Police doubled patrols, setting up barricades in suspected areas. “We’ll tranquilize her if possible,” the chief assured reporters. “But safety comes first.” Behind closed doors, officers admitted rifles were more reliable than dart guns. Sahara’s fate was already being weighed—not as a living being, but as a potential threat.