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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Essex lion search called off | Essex lion search called off |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Police have called off a search for a lion reportedly on the loose in Essex saying they now believe the animal was "either a large domestic cat or a wildcat". | Police have called off a search for a lion reportedly on the loose in Essex saying they now believe the animal was "either a large domestic cat or a wildcat". |
| Officers have spent almost 24 hours combing the countryside around Clacton-on-Sea after a group of residents on Sunday claimed to have seen the king of the jungle near Earls Hall Drive in St Osyth. | Officers have spent almost 24 hours combing the countryside around Clacton-on-Sea after a group of residents on Sunday claimed to have seen the king of the jungle near Earls Hall Drive in St Osyth. |
| But after search teams found no evidence of the big cat, the police decided to stop looking on Monday afternoon. | But after search teams found no evidence of the big cat, the police decided to stop looking on Monday afternoon. |
| Essex police said: "We believe what was seen on Sunday evening was either a large domestic cat or a wildcat. | Essex police said: "We believe what was seen on Sunday evening was either a large domestic cat or a wildcat. |
| "Extensive searches have been carried out, areas examined and witnesses spoken to; yet nothing has been found to suggest that a lion was in the area." | "Extensive searches have been carried out, areas examined and witnesses spoken to; yet nothing has been found to suggest that a lion was in the area." |
| The hunt was called off just hours after police had insisted that the investigation was "serious", despite a zoologist that they had consulted suggesting the picture they had seen was "more likely to be a dog". The investigation appeared to be on the basis of an unspecified number of sightings and some photos, which have not been released. | The hunt was called off just hours after police had insisted that the investigation was "serious", despite a zoologist that they had consulted suggesting the picture they had seen was "more likely to be a dog". The investigation appeared to be on the basis of an unspecified number of sightings and some photos, which have not been released. |
| A police helicopter with thermal imaging technology and experts from Colchester zoo were involved in the hunt with people in the area told on Sunday night to stay in their homes. | A police helicopter with thermal imaging technology and experts from Colchester zoo were involved in the hunt with people in the area told on Sunday night to stay in their homes. |
| Police said they had had to take the reports seriously because of their duty to protect the public, but that residents were now free to "once again return to normal life". | Police said they had had to take the reports seriously because of their duty to protect the public, but that residents were now free to "once again return to normal life". |
| The bank holiday search fired the public's imagination, with several Twitter accounts set up purporting to document the movements of the so-called "Essex lion". Several "doctored" photographs were also in circulation on social networking sites, warned the police, but none had formed the basis of their investigations. | The bank holiday search fired the public's imagination, with several Twitter accounts set up purporting to document the movements of the so-called "Essex lion". Several "doctored" photographs were also in circulation on social networking sites, warned the police, but none had formed the basis of their investigations. |
| Photographs taken by 58-year-old Sue Wright and her family were taken while it was still light on Sunday evening. "The moment I saw it, straight away I said, 'That looks like a lioness,'" she said. | Photographs taken by 58-year-old Sue Wright and her family were taken while it was still light on Sunday evening. "The moment I saw it, straight away I said, 'That looks like a lioness,'" she said. |
| "We then phoned the police. We phoned the police before I started to take pictures. I just thought we would take them so that we had proof of what we were seeing." | "We then phoned the police. We phoned the police before I started to take pictures. I just thought we would take them so that we had proof of what we were seeing." |
| Wright, from Dagenham, Essex, watched the animal with her family – husband, David, a lorry driver, sister-in-law Denise Martin, and her husband, Bob – for around half an hour before it vanished. Denise Martin, 52, was the first to see the creature from the windows of her caravan at Earls Hall Farm. | Wright, from Dagenham, Essex, watched the animal with her family – husband, David, a lorry driver, sister-in-law Denise Martin, and her husband, Bob – for around half an hour before it vanished. Denise Martin, 52, was the first to see the creature from the windows of her caravan at Earls Hall Farm. |
| "I was looking out of the window and we saw smoke – it looked like there had been a bit of a bonfire. When you are in a caravan you panic about smoke," Denise Martin said. "When the smoke cleared I could see this shape in the field, so I got the binoculars out. We had a look and it looked like a lion." | "I was looking out of the window and we saw smoke – it looked like there had been a bit of a bonfire. When you are in a caravan you panic about smoke," Denise Martin said. "When the smoke cleared I could see this shape in the field, so I got the binoculars out. We had a look and it looked like a lion." |
| Zoological director of Colchester zoo, Anthony Tropeano, cast doubt on the sighting. He told the BBC: "The photograph shows an animal in a field. It is a sandy brown colour, but the photography is of such poor quality it's not possible for us to say one way or the other what it definitely is." | Zoological director of Colchester zoo, Anthony Tropeano, cast doubt on the sighting. He told the BBC: "The photograph shows an animal in a field. It is a sandy brown colour, but the photography is of such poor quality it's not possible for us to say one way or the other what it definitely is." |
| He added: "We weren't really sure what we were looking for. There were absolutely no sightings of it during the time I was there. Nothing really to provide any further evidence to suggest it had been there – just the fact of these couple of eyewitness account and police had to err on the side of caution." | He added: "We weren't really sure what we were looking for. There were absolutely no sightings of it during the time I was there. Nothing really to provide any further evidence to suggest it had been there – just the fact of these couple of eyewitness account and police had to err on the side of caution." |
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