Lion on the loose in Essex

Search has now been called off after searches have revealed no footprints, fur or scats or any other evidence that the Lion exsists: Speculation it could have been a wild cat or a large domestic dog that was mistaken for the supposed "lion"....

....Or prehaps it was just someone's idea of a good laugh! :D Have to make up your own mind on that one

Police call off search for 'lion' in Essex - Channel 4 News
 
Nisha said:
Search has now been called off after searches have revealed no footprints, fur or scats or any other evidence that the Lion exsists: Speculation it could have been a wild cat or a large domestic dog that was mistaken for the supposed "lion"....

....Or prehaps it was just someone's idea of a good laugh! :D Have to make up your own mind on that one

Police call off search for 'lion' in Essex - Channel 4 News
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"It also emerged that a picture believed to be the picture of the lion which sparked the police hunt was in fact a fake.

Essex police warned that 'several doctored photographs are in circulation through social networking sites and other media forums'.

And officers said one night-time picture in circulation showing the silhouette of what looked like a lion, was 'never one that police were examining'.

The image - which was widely distributed on Twitter - was thought to show the beast behind a car in a residential area in Basildon, Essex." (Daily Mail: 27-08-2012 @15.45)
 
The animal in the first photo looks very much like a Longhaired, marmalade or fawn-coloured domestic cat to me. Looks like its out hunting.
 
Pertinax said:
The animal in the first photo looks very much like a Longhaired, marmalade or fawn-coloured domestic cat to me. Looks like its out hunting.
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It most certainly does!

I think that is positively a Domestic cat. Its amazing how the human psyche works. If someone says there is a cat on the loose loads of people suddenly see it as well. I bet the cat will be spotted all over the place now in locations miles apart at the exact same time. this is usually the case when similar incidents happen according to a friend of mine in the RSPCA.

I had initially thought a Great dane in a field, one could be forgiven for mistaking that, but a domestic cat!?
 
mazfc said:
So does the circus have lions or not? :rolleyes:
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No. Lacey has tigers. There are NO lions current in circuses travelling or otherwise in mainland UK.

As regarding cats being held under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act this may be of interest:

Wildlife Extra News - More than 150 endagered and big cats kept in UK private collections

NB: Circuses do not need to be licensed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act this situation will change when the new wild animals in circus regulations are introduced although under the new regulation not the DWA Act.
 
John Dineley said:
As regarding cats being held under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act this may be of interest:

Wildlife Extra News - More than 150 endagered and big cats kept in UK private collections
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Interesting link but I'm confused as to certain listings; surely Amur leopard and Amur (Siberian on the link) tiger specimens would be listed in their respective studbooks? Or is that completely wrong? :confused:

EDIT:- I've just noticed the figures for snow leopards (19) and clouded leopards (8), that's a lot of endangered cats in private hands! :eek:
 
Brum said:
Interesting link but I'm confused as to certain listings; surely Amur leopard and Amur (Siberian on the link) tiger specimens would be listed in their respective studbooks? Or is that completely wrong? :confused:

EDIT:- I've just noticed the figures for snow leopards (19) and clouded leopards (8), that's a lot of endangered cats in private hands! :eek:
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The Amur Tiger and Leopards will be listed in their respective studbooks,if they were ever part of the studbooks,which some of them are but they are no longer required for breeding for various reasons.
 
I think the photo looks like a Siberian lynx, rather than a larger cat. I'm not convinced its just a domestic cat, although its possible.
 
Nisha said:
Staff from Colchester Zoo (who's lions are all accounted for!) have examined a photo taken by a member of the public and have determined that it could well be a true sighting, rather than the usual large dog that often turns out to be the culprit in these situations...
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Chlidonias said:
has anyone seen the photo or can provide a link to it if it has been released? Quite often "experts" determine a photo as a genuine Big Cat when it is quite obviously not one at all. (Not saying that's the case here, just interested in seeing the photo).
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having now seen the photo in question, it is quite obviously not a lioness! Makes you wonder who the staff at Colchester Zoo were that said it probably was one.....
 
I don't know if anyone watched the series 'Britain's Strangest Pets' but the first episode featured a private big cat owner in Welwyn (not too far from me!). He had an Amur leopard, snow leopards, servals and pumas amongst others!
 
Chlidonias said:
Makes you wonder who the staff at Colchester Zoo were that said it probably was one.....
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The BBC article that originally stated that staff from the zoo had said it was probably a lion has been changed - now saying that 'definite identification of the animal was not possible based on a photograph taken by a member of the public'.

Both the zoo director and one of the curators quoted by many news sources have cast a rather sceptical view of the sighting; I think the original report may have been a little confused rather than the zoo not knowing what a lion looks like... :p
 
ZooSam said:
The BBC article that originally stated that staff from the zoo had said it was probably a lion has been changed - now saying that 'definite identification of the animal was not possible based on a photograph taken by a member of the public'.

Both the zoo director and one of the curators quoted by many news sources have cast a rather sceptical view of the sighting; I think the original report may have been a little confused rather than the zoo not knowing what a lion looks like... :p
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yes indeed. I just found this article in which a zoo staff member was very sceptical: Were they lyin'? Essex lion hunt called off - World - NZ Herald News
Sarah Forsyth, a rhino curator at Colchester Zoo who was called into the St Osyth area to help police, told the Guardian it was "more likely to be a dog".

"By the time we got there whatever it was had gone. We were shown some photographs, but they were from very far away, very poor quality and to be honest there was no way of saying 'yes' or 'no''," Ms Forsyth told the paper.

"I think it's unlikely [it was a lion]. I think it was more likely to be a dog. It certainly wasn't a male lion. It didn't have a mane."
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zoogiraffe said:
The Amur Tiger and Leopards will be listed in their respective studbooks,if they were ever part of the studbooks,which some of them are but they are no longer required for breeding for various reasons.
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It makes sense if they are retired or over-represented, I can see how they entered private hands. But snow leopards and clouded leopards don't seem any where near as populous in UK collections but are relatively abundant privately
I know this is old data but as far as I can work out the numbers of the two species in private hands is comparable to the amount on public display in the UK. Is this an accurate summary? Also would this data class places like WHF, Heythrop and the RSCC as private holders? After all, they aren't zoo's but do have open days! :confused:

Sorry for all the questions but I'm intrigued!
 
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