'Lion' scare causes furor in Britain

Skooter reporting 08/29/12

British police have given up a glitzy search for what witnesses had said was an inexplicable lion that appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in an Essex field.

On Sunday authorities set out firearms officers, a helicopter, and heat-seeking technology following reports of a big cat wandering in a field in Essex, near London.

The hunt for the animal which witnesses had said look as if to be a lion set off a slew of media coverage as it continued on the Monday bank holiday.

The search for the lion was taken seriously by the police, but many thought otherwise, particularly the lighter side, with jokes, spoof images and faux pas Twitter accounts circulating the internet.

Police culminated the search at 2pm BST Monday after finding no big cat in the area. The police believed it was just a domesticated cat or a wildcat.

Essex Police had checked the Colchester Zoo, but all animals were accounted for. A circus based near Clacton-on-sea early in August said it did not keep any lions. It was reported that between two and six people asserted to have seen the big cat but there had been no further sightings since Sunday evening.

Police explained why they are taking the sighting and all associated evidence seriously was that public safety is their priority. No definitive explanation for mysterious sightings has been given.

AFP