It Was My Mother Tongue- Gachagua On Claiming Kenya Has Tigers [VIDEO]
Gachagua was of the view that whenever one goes and whatever assignment one undertakes while abroad, it is not wise for someone to change character synonymous with their point of origin.
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![It Was My Mother Tongue- Gachagua On Claiming Kenya Has Tigers [VIDEO]](https://viraltea.co.ke/uploads/images/2023/09/image_750x_64fdb9d65a508.jpg)
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Monday, September 18 tried justifying his wild claim that Kenya has tigers by attributing his mother tongue as the reason he alleged the presence of tigers to an audience in Colombia.
He was speaking at a gala dinner hosted by the Kenya Red Cross Society during the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Pan-African Conference at Boma Hotel, South C, Nairobi.
According to the second-in-command, he was of the view that whenever one goes and whatever assignment one undertakes while abroad, it is not wise for someone to change character synonymous with their point of origin.
So rather than correct his sentiments that Kenya has tigers, he justified by claiming that he relied on his mother tongue way of thinking by classifying a leopard and a tiger as the same animal.
"I was in Colombia marketing Kenyan coffee and the Kenyan tourism destination and as I was talking about the animals in this country, I talked about all the animals. But when you go to Europe, you don't become a European. When you go to America, you don't become an American.
"Some of us when we are speaking, we think in our mother tongue then we translate. In Kenya, the Kikuyu nation where I come from, the leopard and the tiger are one and the same," he argued.
Gachagua, in response to critics asking about the location of tigers in the country, affirmed that a tiger and the leopard were one and the same, according to his home region, urging the critics to pay a visit to Kenya's national parks to see rare species of wildlife such as elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, and yes, tigers.
"So when I was talking about the tiger, I saw some critics here asking me where is the tiger.
"I am telling them the tiger and the leopard, from the Kikuyu nation where I come from, because I'm not European, they are one and the same. So you are invited to see our leopard/tiger in our national park," he implored.
Tigers are mostly found in Asia, Nepal, Indonesia, and China. They are an endangered species, with only 3,000 in existence, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Tigers are the largest cats on Earth, agile, with flexible bodies designed for running, jumping and climbing. Heavily-muscled forelimbs, retractable claws, powerful jaws, sharp teeth and acute senses make them awesome hunters.
Their distinctive markings blend into the colours and shadows of their habitat. Generally solitary, tigers live alone; the size of their territory varies with prey abundance.
Tigers use scent to communicate – they spray urine and rub scent on trees and bushes to inform other cats of their whereabouts.
Initially, Viral Tea established that tigers have never been seen in Africa since more than two million years ago. However, the exact reason for tigers not returning to Africa remains unknown.
Some researchers propose that when this group of tigers migrated to Asia, they found the climate and conditions more favourable for their survival and growth.
In contrast, the African continent, with its vast savannahs, may not have been as conducive for tigers as it has been for lions.
Gachagua received criticism from all corners of Kenya, including from the Azimio la Umoja coalition which took a swipe at the DP telling a delegation in Bogota, Colombia that Kenya is home to various wild animals, including tigers.
