Allegations: It is accused of illegal possession of wild animals and illegal trade in wildlife.
A probe will soon be launched on whether it legitimately acquired its 2,000 rai block of land.
Background: In 2001, it had seven tigers.
: In 2015, officials found 147 tigers in its compound and embedded these big cats with microchips so they could be tracked.
: In 2016, officials started moving tigers out of the temple.
Shocking Discoveries: During the operation to search and catch tigers for relocation, officials found the bodies of 40 tiger cubs in jars, plus frozen tiger carcasses, tiger skins, tiger amulets, engraved tiger fangs and stickers about antler herbs and food supplements made of tiger bodies. The body of a binturong, antlers and parts of various other animals were also found in the compound.
For many, the day signifies hope – a new season, a fresh start, a promise of a good year. Millions of fans from all over the nation flock to stadiums to cheer on their favorite baseball heroes. Many of these fans are children who look up to the athletes as role models and emulate their behaviors.
Undoubtedly, the Tigers, like so many other animal enthusiasts in the U.S., did not realize that cub photo ops represent the very opposite of “hope”.
Not only do the photos send the wrong message that handling a wild big cat and treating it like a “pet” is an acceptable thing to do, and frighteningly, despite the fact that 17 adults and 5 children in the U.S. have been killed and nearly 300 other people have been injured by captive big cats within recent years, many people added comments to the Facebook posting that express enthusiasm for owning a tiger, but these photo op’s also represent less than a hopeful situation for the poor cub.
After all, he was brought to the ballpark by Dade City‘s Wild Things Zoo, a private zoo that shamefully allows the public to swim, bottle feed and cuddle with tiger cubs and has repeatedly been cited by theUSDA due to poor veterinary care, improper cub handling, and unacceptable fencing, among other disturbing issues.
Dozens of U.S. traveling zoos and roadside exhibitors profit from charging the public a fee to pet and pose with tiger cubs and other large big cats.
People don’t realize when they patronize these facilities that they are contributing to a huge public safety and animal welfare problem that exists in the U.S. today.
After the cubs grow too big and dangerous for handling, all too often they could be kept in someone’s backyard; sent to aroadside zoo; bred incessantly to further fuel the cub handling trade, or could even be killed.
In one notorious incident of severe cruelty, investigators found more than 90 dead tigers, including 58 cubs stuffed into freezers, on the property a self-professed animal “rescuer” who charged admission for people to visit the tigers.
This is why passing theBig CatsandPublic SafetyProtection Act – a nationwide ban on private big cat ownership and breeding that will soon been reintroduced in Congress-is so important.
The Detroit tigers now have a key opportunity to use their national voice to turn this around and pledge that they will, in the future, choose not to pose with tiger cubs because they would never knowingly want to support an industry that thrives off the exploitation of big cats.
This would be a most appropriate way to kick off a season of hope. -TC
“This is ridiculous, these big cats only turn man eaters when their other meat has been had for tea by the villagers or gone off elsewhere due to the habit forever decreasing!! The people that live around there don’t wait for officials as it is…so God help the poor animals that the villagers catch up with now!! It hardly seems fair, I mean the tigers were in the forest before people started popping up all over!”
“The big cats habitat is being destroyed at an alarming rate, so what are they supposed to do for food? Obviously they are going to take a villagers goat or cow for supper; they wouldn’t attack & eat humans if they had plenty meat running around the forest! If the villagers don’t want their livestock eaten, they should build bigger fencing; or better still, don’t live in the tigers domain! Don’t kill the tigers because they got too close to humans; it’s the other way around, the villagers got too close to the animals. Perhaps more birth control wouldn’t go a miss, for all the women of these small villages; that appear to be sprouting up all over the tigers domain!!”
“Going on past history, the villagers have not waited for the forest department to come & capture a tiger or leopard that has attacked & or killed a human or cattle! I can understand their hate toward the big cat; but killing it won’t bring a person back. Capture & release into another part of the forest is the best for all concerned. If only the powers that be, could arrive much quicker, perhaps the villagers would not take matters into their own hands; therefore the whole scenario could be defused without harming the animal!”
“Now with the added go ahead as laid-out below in the news post, it’s almost giving the villagers more of a green light to kill the animals themselves; which is the worst thing that could happen! The villagers go into a mob mode & I have seen the violence they inflict on the animals they capture; they go absolutely crazy! It’s almost like a celebration, they have caught the cat & so, inflict their own means of punishment towards it! Even if officials are there, they can’t control the mob mentality of the crowds, who seem to come from nowhere? Pushing & shoving, camera phones held high; all waiting to get a glimpse of the killer about to be killed.”
“There are some horrific videos, of villagers who have caught, what they assume is the animal that killed their cattle; whilst in a frenzied mode, they repeatedly club the cornered cat to death! These villagers don’t need even more of a loop hole to kill the big cats. What needs to be done ASAP is have more armed rangers in & around all the villagers, with phones to request backup & trucks that hold cages & more importantly sedatives; ready at a moments notice to rescue a big cat that the villagers have cornered, timing is of paramount importance ! I’m not sure what the forest rangers have by way of authority over the villagers…but that also need to be changed.. as it is very clear the villagers are not afraid of the forest rangers, as is evident in so many videos, where the rangers appear to be doing nothing at all! Perhaps it could be down to numbers, if it’s only 3 rangers to 300 villagers; they are probably more scared of the swelling mob & their safety, than they are of retrieving the cat!!
“I have posted a video, which happens to be one of the worst things I have ever witnessed, it will forever haunt me in my dreams. Just the thought of it brings tears to my eyes. I’m showing it so that people can see, just how heinous the attacks on the big cats that are caught, really are; it is the cats that need the protecting, for sure! I find it hard to believe, in this era, that so many humans could want to inflict such formidable & macabre acts! Please note I have put the video at the very end, so those who don’t want to see it, will have to stop scrolling down at a certain point.
NEW DELHI: Tigers and leopards, accorded highest protection under the Wildlife Act, may now be killed with due permission from authorities if they pose a threat to human life or are disabled or diseased beyond recovery.
“Hence, such species can be killed if they become dangerous to human life or are so disabled/diseased beyond recovery,” the guidelines for declaration of big cats as ‘man-eaters‘ state.
As both tigers and leopards are known to turn into man-eaters, “such confirmed ‘man-eaters’ should be eliminated as per the statutory provisions provided in Section 11 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.”
The guidelines state that the chief wildlife warden of a state alone has the authority to permit hunting of animals which have become dangerous to human life or disabled or diseased beyond recovery.
As per the statutory requirement, a chief wildlife warden has to give in writing the reasons for permitting elimination before hunting, they say.
According to the NTCA, there are several reasons for a big cat to get habituated as a ‘man-eater’ including disability due to old age, incapacitation due to serious injury or loss of its canines, among others.
“However, there may be several exceptions, and hence specific reasons have to be ascertained on a case-to-case basis,” the NTCA said.
The tiger bearing forests and areas nearby prone to livestock depredation, besides having human settlements along with their rights and concessions in such areas, are generally prone to ‘man-eaters’, the guidelines state.
Loss of habitat connectivity in close proximity to a tiger source area owing to various land uses also foster straying of tiger near human settlements, eventually ending up as a ‘man-eater’.
“This is very gruesome & hard to believe human beings could be capable of such a despicable violent act; to an animal already caged. I have sent this video to a friend of mine in India who is an animal advocate & Media Adviser of OIPA in India / PFA Haryana; he will forward this to the right people if not already done so; I read it was filmed in 2008, so it could have already been dealt with. Please note the quality of this video including the sound is very bad quality, it settles after a minute or two!
“WARNING – View Discretion Is Strongly Advised”
Leopard being burned alive in Uttarkhand, India, PLEASE DO SOMETHING!
PLEASE READ THIS DESCRIPTION IN FULL! A leopard that was killing cattle and local villagers was caught, caged and burned alive in the summer of 2008. It remained alive for several hours after, writhing in agony while the police and forest officials watched. I have the list of people who did this. Forest officials, police, and people of the village. You can download it here: http://www.beyondclix.com/files/Uttar… We got the information but are at a loss for what to do. Please help!!!! Please share! Please spread the word! More people should know about what happened. People who can do something about it should do try to do something!
PLEASE!Additional Note: I should have mentioned. Sorry. I did not shoot this video. Someone posted this in FB and we picked it up from there. We shared it with our friends and one of our friends then contacted Indian government under Right to Information Act asking for info on those forest officials. After waiting 6 months they sent the details. The link to download is in description. Then I tried to contact and even tried to meet many politicians and celebs but no one interested yet.
Still trying.Additional additional note: PLEASE don’t make this some country-bashing or religion-bashing thread. You’re taking away from what I’m trying to do. This has nothing to do with poverty or rich, rural or urban or any country in specific. This is about animal rights, empathy and sensitivity of all humans the world over. And I need you to spread the word. That’s all.
Please speak with people about it, online AND offline. Share it with top people. Share it with activists. With celebrities you may know. Your parents. Your friends. Your teachers. At parties. At meetings. Most of all share it with leaders and politicians. I need some help from powerful or important or even famous people. The Indian legal system isn’t much for animal rights in general yet, unless someone important is involved. Thus I will only achieve justice for that animal if you help!
At around six pm last evening villagers of Resa, Saling gewog, put to deathwhat they believe to be thepredator that in the past few weeks killed numerous poultry birds, a calf and attacked a man inside the house.
Resa village, Mongar, where the slain cat roamed
It could not be confirmed whether the animal was a leopard but farmers said that under torchlight it looked black in colour and was the size of a big stray dog.
Farmer Sherub Gyaltshen had set two traps around his coop around 5 pm yesterday after he lost eight hens on the night of October 1.
“Around 6 pm I saw the leopard caught in the trap.The noose had gone around the neck and a forelimb,” Sherub who lost more than half of his 80 hens in the past few weeks said.
“It was growling like anything and trying to escape so I quickly informed the neighbours and with the help of a sharp iron rod pierced its stomach,” another farmer said. “It died after 15 minutes.”
Farmers said that they had been living in fear especially after the September 21 incident. At around 7 pm that evening a 45-year old man was mauled by what villagers believe to be the same animal. Three days later it killed a calf.
The incident occurred in the kitchen outside the main house where Sangay was sleeping. “The animal suddenly jumped on my chest. The nearest thing to me was an axe and I hit out,” Sangay recalled. “It knocked the animal down but it tried to pounce on me again and I hit it again. I managed to injure it on the head.”
There were four people in the house including two children who shouted for help. The neighbours came by and helped chase the animal away.
Sangay went to Gyalpoizhing basic health unit in Mongar and did not have to take any stitches. The incident is the first for Resa village.
One of the farmers said that the dead animal had a deep cut on the head, which had become infested with worms confirming that it was the same animal that had attacked Sangay on September 21.
Forest officials will be visiting Resa village today to investigate.
“I’m sorry to hear these people have lost livestock & a person was mauled…but I think it’s terrible that they killed the cat they way they did, it took 15 minutes to die, suffocating on it’s own blood, surely they could have made a quick clean kill as it was already trapped by it’s neck & forelimb & already in serious pain from the head wound, it was hardly going anywhere! Anyhow, snooping around on other pages…I found this interesting….”
The general advice given to farmers is to stop grazing their cattle in areas, where the predator has made a kill. If it is a kill by a tiger, then some sort of compensation is given, because the tiger needs to be saved, given its importance in the food chain.
But it needs to be known why livestock is being attacked. Maybe there is not much natural prey out in the jungle, which might have been poached for all kinds of things. The predator could be old or injured, though the one in Punakha, wildlife conservation division officials believe, is a young fellow, at least going by the method of attack.
But what of damage by the leopard, the wild dog and the elephant? Farmers are not compensated for damage and loss by these animals, nor are they allowed to hunt them down. In some places, even monkeys and the porcupine do a lot of damage.
As an expert recently pointed out, lending an ear to what farmers and villagers might have to say on dealing with the problem could lead to long term sustainable solutions, rather than cash handouts, which take a long time coming and barely cover the loss
“Well if it was a leopard, were the farmers right to kill it the way they did? I will try to keep updated on this story & post any further news!”
HR 4122 would avert unnecessary human suffering from deaths and injuries from these inherently dangerous animals, stop the illegal trade in captive animal parts that encourages poaching of the wild population, and end the widespread misery these majestic animals endure in private hands when exploited for exhibition or inappropriately kept as pets. This bill is supported by Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Big Cat Rescue, Born Free USA, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS, Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), ROAR Foundation and World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The cute tiger cubs you see at fairs, malls and parking lots will spend their entire lives in tiny cages or will be killed for their body parts to use in traditional asian medicine. It is estimated that there are 10,000 to 20,000 big cats currently held in private ownership in the U.S., although the exact number remains a mystery…
Since 1990, U.S. incidents involving captive big cats—including tigers, lions, cougars, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs and lion/tiger hybrids—have resulted in the deaths of 21 humans, 247 maulings, 259 escapes, 143 big cats deaths and 132 confiscations.
TAKE ACTION NOW! Help put an end to the abuse of big cats and help ensure the safety of the public …. This is the most important bill to ever be introduced to protect big cats. Please click the link and contact your state representatives letting them know that you support H.R.4122 –http://bigcatrescue.org/2012/big-cats-and-public-safety-protection-hr-4122
On February 29, 2012, Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) introduced H.R. 4122, to prohibit the private possession and breeding of big cats. The bill will insure that lions, tigers and other dangerous big cats — which are kept as pets and exploited in roadside zoos and traveling exhibits — do not threaten public safety, diminish the global big cat conservation efforts, or end up living in deplorable conditions where they can be subject to mistreatment and cruelty. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) announced on the same day plans to introduce a companion bill in the Senate within the next few weeks.
The debate over private ownership of big cats garnered national attention last October when the owner of a backyard menagerie in Zanesville, Ohio, opened the cages of his tigers, leopards, lions, wolves, bears and monkeys before committing suicide. Local police, who were neither trained nor properly equipped to deal with a situation of that magnitude, were forced to shoot and kill nearly 50 animals—38 of them big cats—before they could enter populated areas.
The bill would make it illegal to possess any big cat except at accredited zoos and wildlife sanctuaries where they can be properly cared for and sheltered, and would only allow breeding at accredited zoos, along with some research or educational institutions. Current owners would be allowed to keep the cats they currently have provided they register their cats with USDA to keep them from being slaughtered to sell their parts (see below), but they would not be allowed to acquire or breed more. Violators of the law could have their animals confiscated along with any vehicles or equipment used to aid in their activity, and could face stiff penalties including fines up to $20,000 and up to five years in jail.
“LUCKNOW: Pilibhit is reeling under tiger scare again. A stray tiger has killed a man and a woman within a span of two days. The body of the woman was found partially eaten also. Though the feline is yet to be located, the forest department has sounded an alert and orders for tranquilising and trapping it have been issued. However, the department has denied that the tiger is a man-eater.
Reports say a straybig cat, whose sex is yet to be determined, has created panic among the villagers in Pilibhit. On September 5, a man was killed inKhamaria village in Puranpur range of the Social Forestry Division of Pilibhit. The body had deep injuries on head and shoulders. Its upper portion also bore bruises and scratches, apparently from the claws of the wild animal.
The post-mortem report said shock and haemorrhage caused the death. The body, however, was intact with none of the organs missing.
“Whatever be the reason, we have stepped up vigil, said A P Sinha, DFO, Shahjahanpur, who is part of the team. Puranpur range is hardly 5-6 kms from Haripur range where two tigers were found dead in May this year. The social forestry area has a lot of villagers around. Most of the villagers are from economically weaker groups, who are dependent on forest for their daily needs.
As a result of which the division witnesses lot of human movement all the time, the DFO added. On September 6, a woman was found dead in Ruria Salempur village in the same range of social forestry. The body had been partially eaten and one of the legs was found missing. The body was found 11 kms from the forest area, making it clear that the big cat ventured out of the forest to kill and then prey upon the deceased.
The forest department has put in place a team to tranquilise and trap the feline. The tranquilising experts, Utkarsh Shukla of the forest department and Saurabh Singhvi of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), have reached the spot. Two elephants have also been brought for combing.
The forest department, however, has yet notdeclared the big cat as a man-eater.
Though the forest department has no clue yet about the gender of the big cat, it appears to be a case of chance encounter. “However, rectangular pugmarks indicate it is a tigress. Some locals also have spotted a tigress with cubs in the area. Considering that it is sugarcane season, a tigress could be hiding in cane fields with her cubs.In that case, attacks could have come in defence by the feline that is nurturing her cubs. The deceased might have unknowingly gone very close to the big cat,” said a senior forest department official in Lucknow.
This is the reason why Pilibhit gets to see a lot of man-animal conflict. Census figures show that Pilibhit district is home to 30-35 tigers. The forest areas in the district also have a high human density. People are living in between forests in hamlets which has created lot of biotic pressure on the forest area.
“In all possibility, it could be a tiger searching for a safer habitat,” said the official. Pilibhit forests also has a lot of prey base for the tigers, which is the reason why big cats keep venturing out of the forest area into sugarcane fields,” he added.
The problemleopard in Umred–Kuhi area ofNagpur districtkilled a woman in a farm nearTarnavillage Tuesday, triggering tension and public anger.
The animal had earlier injured three people. Efforts by the forest department to capture it since the first attack on August 10 have not succeeded.
“The leopard pounced on Babybai Uike, aged about 50 years, when she was sowing chillies with five or six other women around 5.30 pm. The woman’s shrieks attracted the group which raised an alarm, following which the animal ran away. But Babybai succumbed on the spot,” Divisional Forest Officer P K Mahajan told The Indian Express.
Villagers angry with the forest department’s failure to capture the leopard refused to collect Babybai’s body for two hours after the incident. “This will probably mean the villagers will take it upon themselves to find, catch & probably burn the leopard; as they have done on previous occasions!”
“We have put up two cages since August 15, but it is refusing to fall into the trap,” Mahajan said.
“Despite so much pressure, the animal is hardly deterred.”
Nobody seems to know why the leopard began attacking humans. Unlike most cases of man-animal conflict, the attacks have happened in villages and farms, not forests. “Which are still within the leopard’s dining area!!”
“This is clearly a crisis. From my experience in western Maharashtra, I can say that leopards that have been trapped once succeed in avoiding cages. Also, those caught outside protected areas but released inside generally tend to get into conflict with humans,” wildlife biologist and leopard scholar Vidya Athreya said.
A leopard was caged on June 10 after it entered a house in Ranbodi village nearby, and was released in the wild the next day.
Mahajan said the problem leopard could be the same one. “We are checking available photographs. It could be the same animal.”
Asked why shoot orders were not being issued, Mahajan said, “I will now send a report to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) S W H Naqvi, who will take a call.”
Asked for a comment, Naqvi said, “We have to exhaust all options before shoot orders are issued. I will decide after getting a report from the DFO.” “Of course they can’t just go round shooting all the leopards that villagers see close up, they are a protected species…not that the villagers care. I have seen some horrific videos of what villagers will do to any that they can catch, beating them to death or burning them alive! Perhaps public housing is more likely to be edging further into the leopards domain…not the other way around…that or the locals are killing meat usually hunted by the leopard; for their own family’s to feed on…hence no food for the leopards!”
“Having just found this video, I thought I would include as it show’s the villagers mentality on finding a leopard. Villagers go into mob mode, their like screaming banshees, possessed, the appear by the hundreds (don’t know how or who calls them) & will kill either leopard or officials if there are only a few. You can see the hatred they have for the leopard, throwing rocks at it’s head, when the poor bloody thing only want’s to get back to forest!”
“Thank God the superintendence of police got more back up or else this could have ended with 2 deaths. I think they should look into training more people who are able to dart & know the leopards behaviour!!”
Its War Between Leopard & Human.. Leopard came for water & food near farm, because of Sunrise She try to hide at Bamboo shade sided to close house. but news spread out. Villagers dare that catch the leopard or they will kill. after the 1st fail attempt from villagersthey almost succeed to kill leopard, but help of police forest official & we success to save this leopard. only 1 personwho has experience toTrapor dart leopard,other 1 is me who know the behavior of leopard , both injured in action. Daring of Mr.Sunil Wadekar who takes the decision of Open Dart…& got success… i feel the happiness that man after the fever he run at least for 4km ..& save to Leopard. Thanks to Superintendent of Police Nashik Mr.Pravin Padval who send extra police force & respond to my Request.
That’s the border limbo 16 tigers and lions have faced in Paraguay because Argentine officials refuse to approve their paperwork for re-entry.
A tiger sits in a cage in Puerto Falcon, Paraguay, on the border with Argentina, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Nine Bengal tigers and seven African lions from an Argentine circus have been stuck at the border in Paraguay for two months, because Argentine officials refuse to approve their paperwork for re-entry. Paraguay’s Wildlife Ministry announced Friday they will move the animals two by two to the Asuncion zoo, “so that they can live in some comfort and not in a strange area.”
The nine Bengal tigers and seven African lions belong to an Argentine circus that performs in the Paraguayan capital each August. Their owner, Oswal Wasconi, brought them back for this year’s circus only to learn that a new law in Paraguay bans live animal acts at circuses.
With no chance of performing, Wasconi tried to ship his big cats back to Argentina. But then they got stuck at the border.
Estela Gomez, director of Paraguay’s wildlife agency, said the animals all have good-health certificates, but their entry to Argentina was blocked by officials demanding more information about the protected species.
Aides to Argentina’s quarantine office director, Raul Castelli, said he was in a meeting and could not explain the holdup.
After inquiries from The Associated Press on Friday about the cats’ plight, Gomez said her ministry decided to move the big cats two by two to the Asuncion zoo, “so that they can live in some comfort and not in a strange area.”
Furthermore, she said that “Wasconi has promised to provide them with food and liquid because these animals are physically quite large.”
“In the next few days we will continue investigating the true reasons why the Argentine authorities aren’t authorizing their return,” she said. “I can’t anticipate whether these beasts will remain forever in Paraguay or eventually go to Argentina.”
Essex police have called off their search for a lion believed to be on the loose near a caravan park in Essex after scrambling two helicopters and armed officers.
Holidaymakers had described how they ran screaming from the “lion” and insisted they had seen a fully grown animal complete with tan coloured fur, mane and distinctive tail.
The police issued a warning, urging people to enjoy the bank holiday but to be vigilant and on the look out for the wild animal.
Duoh…they saw me!!!
However, nearly 24 hours after the alarm was raised and despite searching for paw prints, faeces or fur, police said they had found no trace of the lion.
An Essex police spokesman said: “There is no proof whatsoever that there is a lion on the loose, and with no further sightings were are standing down.
“We believe what was seen on Sunday evening was either a large domestic cat or a wildcat.”
Wildlifeexperts believe the animal was most likely to be a large dog.
The search began after the police were contacted last night with what was described as a lion sitting in grassland off Earls Hall Drive in the village of St Oysth.
People living and staying in the area spoke of their fear, with one saying he had seen the beast and it was “one million per cent lion”.
Rich Baker, 39, from Romford, Essex, who was staying in a nearby caravan, said: “A man started running towards us yelling ‘It’s a f****** lion!’. He looked so panicked you knew it was not a joke. You could see the lion from the side.
“It was one million per cent a lion. It was a tan colour with a big mane, it was fully grown, it was definitely a lion. It was just standing there, it seemed to be enjoying itself.
“There were a dozen or so people who saw it. We are staying on the caravan park down the road. It’s very busy – it’s a seaside resort and a bank holiday.”
Mr Baker, who was out with his two sons, aged nine and 11, said they made a dash for safety.
He said: “I grabbed my children’s hands and we ran towards our caravan. My children started to scream, “daddy, is the lion going to get us?”
Rob Hull, a barman at the Tudor Bar social club, said: “I was in my car as I had just gone to get some petrol when I saw it in the field next to the road. It was ambling laconically along by the lake in the field, like it didn’t have a care in the world.”
Che Kelvin, who lives in the village, told the Today programme: “I was sitting downstairs with my wife playing backgammon and I heard a large roar, and I said to my wife, ‘did you hear that?’
“She said, ‘I heard something.’ I said, ‘Well, I heard a large roar.’ She said, ‘Well, do you think it’s just upstairs on the TV?’ Anyway I went upstairs to check and I got a text from my brother saying that there was a lion on the loose in St Osyth, apparently.”
Earlier, a spokesman for Essex police said: “We would encourage people to enjoy the bank holiday Monday, indulging in activities as they want to.
“For those who wish to take a walk in the countryside surrounding Clacton, then we would just ask them to be extra vigilant and cautious. However, they will probably see us first before they see anything else.”
A dozen armed officers spent the night scouring the area, with the police helicopter’s thermal imaging camera also utilised to help find any trace of any animal.
Officers returned to areas where the animal was apparently spotted to search for clues such as pawprints.
The police spokesman added: “Public safety is our priority which is why we are taking the sighting and all associated evidence seriously.
“We have an increased police presence in the area which will offer reassurance to local residents, motorists and holidaymakers.”
Experts at Colchester Zoo have studied a photograph taken at distance of the supposed lion and said it might indeed be one. The zoo has three lions, but all are accounted for.
The Great British Circus, which visited Clacton Airfield recently, scotched rumours that it might have been the source of the missing beast after telling police they do not have lions.
People passing this photo of a lion around social networking site Twitter thought this was the lion that sparked the hunt. Police have confirmed it is a fake
Dewas: A 58-year-old man killed a leopard on Sunday with an axe after the animal attacked him in the Rampura forest under Bagli range in the district.
MP: Man kills leopard in self-defence
Nathu, the man, came face to face with the big cat in the forest.Despite the mauling he received, Nathu rained blows on it with his axe, knocking the leopard out.
The animal subsequently bled to death, forest officials said here on Monday.
DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
You can find out more about me & this blog by reading "ABOUT THIS BLOG" on the menu (when i finish it) lol
PLEASE NOTE.....
Not all of my posts will be current news, or even about animal abuse! I do like to share other animal news, uplifting stories or videos; some that are funny or just touch the heart!
If I have anything to say on any post, you will see it in bold blue writing. I try to remain a lady, but it's hard to contain my anger & emotions at the some of the stories I post; I don’t have a heart of stone, tears stain many articles I write!
Lastly, my apologies for any errors; I am learning whilst posting, so if you find anything that doesn't work or a broken link, sorry, I'm only human!!!!
ABOUT THESE POSTS
I would just like to make readers aware, that I search for stories on the internet; regards animal abuse etc. I copy stories etc. from the internet; assuming these stories are correct at time of publishing. Having said that, sometimes the press get it wrong! So I just want to add that at the time of me posting a news story, I presume all the facts seem present & correct.
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DUE TO ANIMAL HATERS...I WILL ONLY ADD PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVE WHO THEY ARE via Facebook, Wordpress, Twitter etc. & WHO HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN ANIMAL WELFARE... i.e. if your Facebook page has absolutely nothing to do with animals, I see no point in joining my page. My Facebook is solely for animal welfare, I am not interested in playing games etc. I don't mean to sound rude but I am not interested in the amount of friends I have, its the quality of those friends that count.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND REQUESTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN. I do not want anyone to be upset by graphic images etc.
My aim is to educate & raise awareness to the horrors animals face, at the hands of humans, every day, around the world!!
We can not hope to achieve better laws, to protect animals, unless we unite as one, to speak up for those who are voiceless!!
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DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
STOP ANIMAL ABUSE 
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