A major emergency response was sparked in Spain after a delivery driver claimed to spot a lion on the loose in Sierra de San Vicente, central Spain, a popular Brit hotspot
A vicious lion has allegedly been prowling around a British holiday hotspot in Spain. Alarmed Civil Guard officials in the mountainous region of Toledo have launched a search operation to find the deadly beast, before it can attack anyone.
A delivery driver claims he witnessed the deadly big cat prowling through Sierra de San Vicente, central Spain on Wednesday at approximately 10:40am. He instantly rang the 112 emergency hotline – prompting the civil guard to rapidly mount a comprehensive hunt for the escaped lion.
The caller was travelling along the TO-1375 road close to the historic Piélago convent when he reports spotting the fearsome creature.
Multiple local authorities issued alerts to locals, advising them to avoid minor roads while officials pursued the dangerous predator.
El Real de San Vicente Town Hall shared a Facebook warning telling residents about reports “of a possible lion sighting near the convent in the mountains.
“There is no further information at this time; please exercise extreme caution”, they added to the post on Thursday afternoon.
Emergency crews immediately contacted the nearest zoo, roughly 15km away, to check whether a large cat had fled their enclosure.
“No animals are missing from our facilities”, declared a spokesperson for Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura de Hinojosa de San Vicente, threatening legal action if anyone accused them otherwise.
None of the zoos or natural wildlife parks in the broader surrounding region – including Madrid – had reported a missing lion.
Since the hunt began two days ago officials have failed to discover any paw prints or fresh sightings of the animal.
Police also examined whether the delivery driver had mistaken a large dog for a lion.
Authorities traced owners of bigger, more hazardous pets – like Tibetan mastiffs and German shepherds – but have so far been unable to confirm what type of animal the man first spotted.
Given the absence of proof, the search has now been called off.
The government delegation in Castilla-La Mancha – the region where the mistaken sighting occurred – warned the public that raising a false alarm can constitute a criminal offence for squandering emergency resources.
Astonishingly, it is not the first time a lion was supposedly spotted in the Toledo mountains.