Seeing Cryptids: The Problems

As confirmed sightings dwindle, Milwaukee lion fading into urban legend

The Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission has taken in about 250 stray animals this week — and zero lions.

Karen Sparapani, the commission's executive director, said that as the search for a roaming big cat runs dry, the fickle feline is turning into a Milwaukee legend. "It's like searching for a needle in a haystack," she said.
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It was an urban legend from day one. They took 250 strays? Were any of those yellow housecats from this neighborhood?

Efforts to ensnare the creature — especially meat-laden live traps laid out earlier this week by animal control, police, and the state Department of Natural Resources — have been thwarted by curious residents.

People began taking photos with the traps and closing them in order keep the "Milwaukee lion" from getting caught, forcing officials to move the traps to more remote locations. Public involvement in the search has only exasperated officials who have not had a credible sighting of the animal since Sunday, Sparapani said.

Milwaukee police said in a release Thursday that they have continued to receive reports of a big cat at large on the city's north side. They continued to urge city residents to resist curiosity and not put themselves in harm's way if they spot what looks like a lion.
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Fun stuff. So what about this so-called credible sighting?

The last confirmed sighting of the creature was Sunday, when a DNR official saw it in a ravine near N. 31st St. and W. Cameron Ave. Since then, Sparapani said, officers following up on reported spottings have turned up empty-handed.
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Ah, there it is. What did the DNR official say, and how was credibility established for that sighting? Was that the person that described it as "cat-like" or "lion-like"?

"The longer it goes on, the less frequent the sightings are," she said, "It boggles the mind that everyone with their cellphones hasn't been able to take a photo."
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You have a video but you didn't even analyze it, you silly lady.

"I have to tell you, the lion has a lot of fans out there," she said. "I'd hate for it to resolve as a Milwaukee legend that there's a lion that lives in the city. I want to have closure, but it feels like at this point we're not going to get it."
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Gain closure by looking at that video, you silly lady.
 
Maurice Ledifficile said:
Yes. I posted a video earlier, but with no introduction, so no one seems to have watched it.
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That's good. Personally, if I were the mayor, the moment that dog got shot I would've called the whole thing off and point out how ignorant people were being even if it spelt the end of my career. I mean what if that been some kid instead of a dog?
 
Was in a N Wisconsin (formerly The Eat n Run, which is what used to happen) café this morning. Topic of conversation at the table next to mine was, of course, the Milwaukee Lion.

I said, not too loudly, "It's a cat."

My wife raised her eyebrows.

"Awfully big cat," was the reply from the other table.

"Not really," I said, "Not if you look at the video and photos. An average to large cat, that's about it."

"Do you really want to argue about this with strangers?" my wife asked.

"Well, it's not much of an argument." I said.

Fortunately for pretty much everybody concerned, my OJ arrived and I lost focus.
 
They'll never catch it. During Katrina we lost some exotics that were in private sanctuaries. To this day there is a male lion with full mane a flowing sighted in the National Forest around Tupelo, Ms. He's evaded capture for years, if he isn't dead already.
 
Male Bengal cats can get pretty large, so can the Maine Coon cat. Both require small kiddy pools as litter boxes if you try to keep them in the house.
 
Not necessarily, they are absolutely the worst cat to have for a pet as evidenced by the Bengal cat rescue groups around the country. They go feral pretty quick and leave, most of the time it's a welcome relief to the unsuspecting owner.
 
Jodie said:
Not necessarily, they are absolutely the worst cat to have for a pet as evidenced by the Bengal cat rescue groups around the country. They go feral pretty quick and leave, most of the time it's a welcome relief to the unsuspecting owner.
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Cool story. That still makes it a house cat.
 
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