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African lion on the loose near Ottawa
A two-year-old pet lion was on the loose in Canada's backwoods near the nation's capital Wednesday, sparking a hunt by police, officials said.
The 150-pound (70-kilogram) male African lion escaped overnight Tuesday from an Indian reservation and was last seen near the tiny village of Maniwaki, north of Ottawa, said Melanie Larouche of the Quebec provincial police.
Schools and day-cares in the region were alerted and asked to keep children indoors, she told AFP.
The lion named Boomer belongs to a resident of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg reserve and was said by its owner to be harmless, but authorities were not taking any chances.
"That's not a little pet to us, and we're taking this situation quite seriously," Corporal Gordon McGregor of the Kitigan Zibi reserve police force told public broadcaster CBC.
"The fact that it's been in the woods for a little while now, that concerns me because natural instincts might come back into play," he said.
During the day, the reserve police, Quebec police and wildlife officers set up a perimeter around the area where the lion was believed to be hiding.
As well, a police helicopter equipped with heat sensors was called in to help in the search.
"The goal is to tranquilize it, but we also have to ensure the safety of the local population," said Larouche, adding that the lion may have to be killed if it proved to be dangerous.
