Helicopters and drones were scrambled in the mountains of a Spanish tourist region after a delivery driver claimed to have spotted a lion roaming in the area. The alleged sighting triggered a major response from authorities, with officers racing to hunt down the animal in the Toledo region in central Spain, which welcomes millions of tourists every year.
Delivery Driver's Report
The driver claims he saw the large feline at around 10:40am on Wednesday while travelling along the TO-1375 road near the historic Piélago convent in the Sierra de San Vicente. He immediately contacted the 112 emergency services, sparking a large-scale search by the Civil Guard.
Residents in nearby areas were urged to avoid secondary roads as officers tried to establish whether a lion was really on the loose. El Real de San Vicente Town Hall alerted locals on Facebook to 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," the post added on Thursday afternoon.
Zoos Checked and No Missing Animals Found
The emergency response included calls to local zoos, including one located around 15km from the reported sighting. Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura de Hinojosa de San Vicente said: "No animals are missing from our facilities," and threatened legal action over any claims suggesting an animal had escaped. Checks of other zoos and wildlife reserves in the wider region, including nearby Madrid, also failed to uncover any missing lion.
The mystery deepened as the search found no footprints or fresh sightings of the animal. Officers also considered whether the driver could have mistaken a large dog for a lion, checking on owners' breeds including Tibetan mastiffs and German shepherds.
Search Called Off
Authorities in Castilla-La Mancha meanwhile reminded the public that deliberately making a false report can be a criminal offence because of the emergency resources involved. The search was eventually called off after "no evidence of a lion in the area" was found, according to sources at the Government Delegation. It added that there have been no further sightings reported by the public since Wednesday morning. The Civil Guard had been in touch with the affected town councils, as well as livestock farmers and the local population, "but these efforts have yielded no results."
