Police in Essex, England, said Monday that they've found "no evidence to support locals' claims that they'd spotted a lion." [Reuters]

  • http://twitter.com/icecolbeveridge Colin Beveridge

    It was Pride weekend, after all.

  • fredh

    Those people are just lion.

  • bzishi

    Why not? Lions and unicorns are on the coat of arms for the UK. Presumably they are native fauna.

  • Brainspore

    Officials confirm that the Snipe remains at large, last seen in the company of a wild goose.

  • EH

    I believe that Florida still has a monkey/ape on the loose.

  • Henry Pootel

    A… rampant lion?

  • Antinous / Moderator

    There were several definitive statements from the police that the photos absolutely, positively showed a lion.   Here’s one of the photos.  Srsly.

    • travtastic
    • Brainspore

      It seemed a lot more convincing with the original caption.

    • Felton / Moderator

      Here’s a close-up.

      • ookluh

         Meh.  Big whoop.

    • Guest

      It’s a cover-up; Panthera britannica is real

  • http://twitter.com/rvitelli Romeo Vitelli

    The lion probably just went into hiding what with being an illegal immigrant and all.

    • Wreckrob8

      The lion is clearly not an immigrant. It was speaking perfect native Essex English on twitter.

  • http://www.KladniFigures.com/ Scooter Jackson

    OK, who left the wardrobe open again?

  • Fred Cairns

    The Daily Mash has what looks like a plausible report on the item: 
    http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/lion-bar-wrapper-triggers-mass-panic-2012082839140 

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/Freethinkersanon Christopher

    Follow up: in an attempt to prevent two dolphins from mating at a local aquarium an employee was returning from the seaside with two baby seagulls, since their cheeping is the only thing known to quell the amorous desires of dolphins. On his return trip he noticed the lion sleeping in the middle of the road. Unable to go around it he carefully stepped over it.

    He was later arrested for transporting young gulls across a sedate lion for immoral porpoises. 

  • Daneel

    A man walks into a bar with a giraffe. They both get pissed. The giraffe falls over. The man goes to leave and the bartender says, “Oi. You can’t leave that lyin’ there.” And the man says, “No. It’s not a lion. It’s a giraffe.”