A LION has allegedly been spotted prowling in the mountains of a Brit holiday hotspot – sparking a huge search operation.
The Civil Guard have launched helicopters and drones in a desperate two-day hunt for the carnivorous beast across Toledo, Spain.
The Civil Guard are scouring the region for signs of the killer beast Credit: Noticias CMM
Residents of Toledo have been left terrified after an alleged lion sighting Credit: Noticias CMM
A delivery driver claims he saw the killer feline stalking through Sierra de San Vicente, central Spain on Wednesday at around 10:40am.
He immediately called the 112 emergency line – and the civil guard swiftly launched a full scale search for the lion on the loose.
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The caller was on the TO-1375 road near the historic Piélago convent when he says he spotted the terrifying animal.
Several local regions issued warnings to residents, urging them to stay off secondary roads while authorities tracked down the wild beast.
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El Real de San Vicente Town Hall posted to Facebook warning residents of a report “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 services swiftly contacted the closest zoo, about 15km away, to see if a large feline had escaped their premises.
“No animals are missing from our facilities”, said a spokesperson for Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura de Hinojosa de San Vicente, threatening legal action if anyone accused them otherwise.
Police and emergency services jumped into action after a 112 call on Wednesday Credit: Noticias CMM
Drones, helicopters and squads from multiple regions have been deployed in the two day hunt Credit: Noticias CMM
None of the zoos or natural wildlife reserves in the wider surrounding area – including Madrid – had reported a missing lion.
Since the search started two days ago officials have yet to uncover any footprints or new sightings of the beast.
Cops also investigated whether the delivery driver had confused a large dog with a lion.
Officials tracked down owners of larger, more dangerous 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 lack of evidence, the hunt has now been suspended.
The government delegation in Castilla-La Mancha – the region of the erroneous sighting – reminded the public calling a false alarm can be a crime for wasting emergency resources.
Remarkably, it is not the first time a lion was allegedly sighted in the Toledo mountains.
In 2017 a supposed lion was prowling in the valley of the Cañamares River, prompting another large-scale search operation.
But months later, in 2018, the Civil Guard confirmed the sighting was actually a black dog.
