CINCINNATI --

Cincinnati police weren't taking chances after a report of a tiger, lion or other large cat near a school.

Officers responded to Glenwood Avenue near the Phoenix School shortly after 7 a.m. after someone reported seeing a big white or light-colored cat jump a fence into an enclosed area of the school's property.

"One of my coworkers was on their way to work, he looked over and I looked at him and I said, 'What is that? and we both said at the same time 'That's a lion!'" Rodney Meeks said.

"He was in the middle of the courtyard, laying low. Kind of blended in with the brick, about that color," Brian Foremas said.

The Cincinnati Zoo, which is a few blocks away, told News 5 that all of its tigers were accounted for.

Police blocked part of Glenwood Avenue just before 8 a.m. to allow for easier searching and took apart a wooden enclosure around an air conditioning unit. One officer used a thermal-imaging device to look for hot spots that might be a large animal.

Firefighters used ladder trucks to get a higher view of the area.

Officers called off the search and reopened Glenwood Avenue just before 9 a.m.

Copyright 2010 by WLWT.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.