Lion on loose in Essex UK

[baron]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/27/article-2193984-14B62D6F000005DC-791_634x428.jpg

The actual photo (as opposed to the fake Twitter one). Probably not fake but that's OK as it appears to be a photo of a domestic cat. Are people genuinely this stupid?

 

[catsmate]

Ahem. And the police have called off the search.

 

[sophia8]

If there was a cat, it was probably a Maine Coon cat. They're big animals, up to twice the size of an ordinary cat and they often have a shaggy ruff of hair around their neck and chest that looks a bit like a lion's mane.
A couple of the photos on that Wikipedia page show how they could be mistaken for lions at a distance.

 

[Lucian]

You can't stamp a huge lion, "Property of the zoo!"

They stamp them when they're small.

 

[baron]

If there was a cat, it was probably a Maine Coon cat. They're big animals, up to twice the size of an ordinary cat and they often have a shaggy ruff of hair around their neck and chest that looks a bit like a lion's mane.
A couple of the photos on that Wikipedia page show how they could be mistaken for lions at a distance.

A friend of mine had one, a monster that weighed well over 20lb, but it beggars belief that anybody could confuse a domestic cat with a lion with an average male lion being about 40 times the size of a large cat.

 

[Beerina]

A few cougars too if the stereotypes are anything to go by.

Frack, if I were in my teens or 20s again...

 

[rjh01]

Older thread here about previous sightings Merged: Alien Big Cats in the UK?. This includes a few posts about this sighting.

 

[I Ratant]

If there was a cat, it was probably a Maine Coon cat. They're big animals, up to twice the size of an ordinary cat and they often have a shaggy ruff of hair around their neck and chest that looks a bit like a lion's mane.
A couple of the photos on that Wikipedia page show how they could be mistaken for lions at a distance.

.
One of the local Bobcats. Not the least bit afraid of people.
Note the ears are quite similar to the "cat" in Engiland.
Lions have rounded ears, not pointy ears.

 

[Explorer]

A domestic cat, no question. Its August, don't forget, not much news about.

 

[baron]

Conclusion: stupid people are stupid.

 

[Aepervius]

A red panda maybe ?

 

[richardm]

a Circus had been in town a few weeks ago but they had no Lions either.

Well, not now, obviously.

 

[Tomtomkent]

The beast of bodmin took a holiday... these things go in cycles on slow news periods. Wake me up when it is the shocking revelation people still see ghosts or UFOs. I bet at least one paper features Blue bell hill again by the end of the year.

 

[baron]

I expect the circus could acquire a few tom cats and train them to sit on stools, being that so many people are dumb enough to mistake them for lions. It would save a fortune and also be significantly less dangerous.

 

[The Don]

I expect the circus could acquire a few tom cats and train them to sit on stools, being that so many people are dumb enough to mistake them for lions. It would save a fortune and also be significantly less dangerous.

Sure, just tell them that it's not a cat, it's a lion a very long way away.

Kinda like Team America World Police

Release the panthers !

 

[DrDave]

Sure, just tell them that it's not a cat, it's a lion a very long way away.

Just hope they haven't learnt perspective from the master

 

[jond]

They stamp them when they're small.

That's before they molt.

 

[The Don]

The lady who owned the (Maine Coon) cat has just been interviewed on the Radio. She thinks it's all been so silly. Then again, plod said that there is definitely a puma on the loose in the area - apparently

 

[I Ratant]

Anyone have any paw prints?
A puma paw print is about 4 inches wide. Many times larger than the pussy cat's.

 

[richardm]

Here's an uncropped version of the picture, showing the beast in all its terrifying* majesty

*if you are an Ailurophobe