Essex Police have called off a search for a lion reportedly on the loose and suggested it was more likely to be a large domestic cat or wildcat. The Daily Mirror reports it could be a ginger tomcat called Tom that lives near to the original sighting.
A £25,000 operation involving more than 30 officers was most likely caused by 12-year-old ginger tomcat, Tom, the Daily Mirror has reported. Police called off a huge lion-hunt yesterday after deciding the alert was sparked by a large domestic cat.
A carer from the local old people's home that the cat is reportedly from said:
A search for a lion in Essex has been called off, with police believing the rogue animal was most likely to be a "large domestic cat".
Police are responding to reports that a lion was seen in a field near the Essex village of St Osyth. Firearms officers have been deployed.