The Essex police force showed up in spades. A helicopter with an infrared camera, wild animal experts with tranquilizer guns, and police officers all turned out for the hunt. If true, the reports were alarming: an animal that large, so close to a popular public attraction. The concern was that it had escaped from a nearby circus, and residents throughout the area were told to stay in their homes until further notice.
But 19 hours later, the police called off the search. Not only had the lion failed to materialize, but a local man who lived nearby had stepped forward to point out the similarity between the "huge beast" photographed by tourists, and his ginger Maine Coon tabby cat named Teddy.
The resemblance between Teddy (below) and the Essex Lion (above) is unmistakable.
