The El Paso County Sheriff's Office has called off the search Monday afternoon for a reported lion on the loose in the area of Falcon Highway and North Log Road.
Officials apparently believe the reported lion, that agencies spent more than seven hours searching for, may instead be a large dog or another large animal.
Resident Sharon Harding-Shaw was one of the first to spot the reported lion and submitted her cell phone photos to officials.
There were three sightings of the animal total. Deputies were told by witnesses that the animal had a red mane and a big tail.
A reverse 911 call went out to residents around 8 a.m. Monday. They were told to keep themselves and their pets inside until they were given the all-clear.
The big cat sanctuary, Serenity Springs, was originally questioned about the possibility of having a missing African Lion but told officials all of their cats were accounted for.
Crews from Serenity Springs and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo searched alongside state authorities all day Monday.
A wildlife expert from Serenity Springs has taken another look at the pictures and tells 11 News it may just be a large dog.
Authorities still urge residents to remain cautious and alert authorities if they see a similar animal on the loose.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office released the following statement Monday night about their all-day search:
At approximately 7:35 a.m., the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office began receiving information from residents who indicated they saw a lion chasing two dogs in the area of Log Road and Falcon Highway. A second report at approximately 8:11 a.m. indicated a female party had photographs of a lion in the same vicinity and was providing the photo to a Colorado State Trooper.
Multiple units reported to the area to try to locate the animal. The Sheriff’s Office contacted employees of Big Cats of Serenity Springs to check on their animals. They indicated all of their animals were accounted for.
Air One from the Colorado Springs Police Department responded to provide air support in an attempt to locate the animal. At approximately 11:45 a.m. members of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo arrived to provide technical assistance to the effort. The USDA deployed professional tracking dogs that are trained to search for large exotic animals. The majority of the one (1) square mile area was searched by members of the Sheriff’s Office, the Division of Wildlife and the USDA tracking team.
After this collaborative effort between the El Paso County Sheriffs Office, the Division of Wildlife, the US Department of Agriculture and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the determination was made we were not able to confirm the presence of a lion. An extensive search with an enormous amount of resources has not corroborated the individual reports of the animal. The photographs of the animal, taken from a distance, caused contradicting observations indicating possibly a large canine or a large cat.
There were four animal sanctuaries in the state of Colorado contacted and each of them confirmed all of their animals were accounted for. Based on the totality of the circumstances and all of the experts available, the Sheriff’s Office made the determination to discontinue the search at approximately 3:15 p.m.
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