Police have been sent to investigate reports of a lion on the loose in south-west England.
Staff in the force's control room received a call from a concerned local who claimed to have spotted the lion at South Molton, between Barnstaple and Tiverton in Devon.
The incident was one of five 'big cat' sightings in the Devon and Cornwall police force area during 2021.
Three others were big black panther-like cats, and one was described as looking like a bobcat or lynx, Devon Live reports.
This one was also a false alarm as no lions had been reported missing.
Police attended the scene and checked with local wildlife parks.
The police log entry in November last year said: “Caller believes he saw a lion around 20-30 minutes ago.
“Spoke to Exmoor Zoo and it’s not from there.
“All big cats at Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park accounted for.”
The reports have emerged in a response to a Freedom of Information request to Devon and Cornwall Police asking for details of all the ‘big cat’ sightings last year.
The first was in January, at Torrington in North Devon, when a caller reported what they thought was a black panther.
The creature was said to be around 3ft long, with a long slender body. It was reported to have jumped over a hedge which was 6ft to 7ft high.
The next was in June at Helston in Cornwall, when a caller reported what they described as an American bobcat or lynx.
The police report said: “Caller was walking down a pathway when she saw the cat sitting bolt up in front of her, she turned and walked away and the cat vanished. No further sightings.”
In August, at Starcross, near Dawlish, a caller reported a black cat bigger than a Labrador dog which walked out in front of their car.
The log said: “Caller reporting a sighting of very, very large black cat which crossed the road in front of their car and jumped over a massive hedge.
“The cat was bigger than a Labrador dog. It jumped over a hedge that was at least 7ft tall.”
The fourth report was the lion at South Molton in November, followed by the final report of the year in December at Redruth in Cornwall when a caller reported a black cat that walked and looked like a panther.
The police report said: “Caller saw a very large big black cat. This big black cat was huge and did not look like a domestic cat, it looked more like a panther and walked like one too.”
There have been reports of big cats living wild in the Devon countryside for many years, the most famous becoming known as the beasts of Bodmin and Exmoor.
One expert has claimed that an increase in sightings of big cats in the countryside last year was because they became bolder after lockdown.
In one incident, holidaymaker Carl Foss, 36, reported coming within just a few feet of a caracal near Whistman’s Wood on Dartmoor in May last year.
It followed a spate of big cat sightings in Cornwall at the end of April , including a big cat sitting on a trailer in a field near Roche, a puma spotted crossing the A39 , a big black cat in St Stephen, and others in the Penryn area.
Caracals, often known as the African lynx, are native to Africa, Asia and areas of Pakistan.
They are recognised by their long, pointed ears which have tufts of hair on the ends, and stripes on their faces.
Mr Foss said: “The cat was about three feet away from me.
“I could not see all of it as it was stood on the brow of the hill. It was a sandy colour and had black stripes going down and around from its eyes to its nose.
“The ears had black tips. It stopped and watched me for a moment and ran away. It was more scared of me.”
