200 pounds and blonde, with a sleek body

[NJFFSA16]

CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio (AP) - Some people believe the African
lion reportedly seen roaming the Gahanna area earlier this year has
wandered about 13 miles to the southeast.
Madison Township firefighter Ed Dildin claims he spotted a lion
on Thursday along U.S. 33 near this Columbus suburb.
Dildin and other firefighters were on a training run in the
fire-truck when Dildin noticed something on his right.
"I never thought much about it," he said. "But then it came
out of the cornfield on the right side and into the cornfield on
the left side."
Other firefighters, sitting backward in the truck, didn't see it
before it disappeared, he said.
Dildin says he heard someone else had seen a lion in the same
area a day earlier.
Dildin said there's no doubt in his mind that what he saw was a
lion.
"I promise you it was a lion," he said.
He described the animal as about 200 pounds and blond, with a
sleek body and long tail.
Dildin suggested the lion could have traveled across Gahanna and
followed Blacklick Creek into Canal Winchester.
There were several reports of lion sightings in Gahanna, a
northwest Columbus suburb, in early May, then no more.
At the height of the big cat alert in Gahanna, television
helicopters hovered over the city looking for it, the State Highway
Patrol had a helicopter on standby, police advised residents to
keep their garage doors closed and kids inside and the city
contacted the Columbus Zoo for advice on what to do if they found
the animal.


(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[EastKyFF]

I thought it was going to be the world's largest Twinkie--I was gonna get me a bite of that!

[nmfire]

There are occasional black bear sightings around here and I think there was a mountain lion or bobcat a year or two ago. The bears won't bother you unless you try to tick them off. Everyone freaks out about it though. "Oh my god, it's a bear in the woods! Call 911! Somebody shoot it!" For god's sake, leave it alone and it will move along. The DEP will not even respond unless it is hostile.

I'm not sure what the reaction would be here if someone called reporting a large lion was sunning itself in their backyard.