Police in Belfast have issued warnings as numerous sightings of a lion were reported in the city’s Cavehill Park area. A search and rescue helicopter was deployed to aid the police on the ground, but the search was called off as darkness fell.
Staff at the nearby Belfast Zoo were alerted, and urgent checks were put into place to see if any of their big cats were missing. The Zoo later stated that all their animals were accounted for.
Police resumed the search on Monday, urging people to avoid the area but they have yet to confirm the sightings.
Earlier last week residents in Florida were advised to stay indoors as a Bengal tiger escaped from its cage at McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary in Palm Beach.
The tiger escaped on Tuesday night and residents were urged to stay indoors; the tiger was captured in the sanctuary grounds early on Wednesday morning.