Was It An African Lion?
Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 18th, 2008
A helicopter and members of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and Colorado Division of Wildlife were among those searching for an African lion in eastern El Paso County on Monday. The search for the large cat was called off Monday afternoon.
Was the large unknown animal seen in Colorado an African lion? Panthera atrox, the American Lion, known from the Pleistocene? A feral dog? An escaped pet felid?
It certainly befits the classic definition of a cryptid, unknown, uncaught, unidentified, and yet surely an animal.
Here is a roundup of the various reproductions of the cellphone image published this week of this “cat.”
One of the biggest blowups is this one:
What do you see?
What happens when the cryptid is found and killed? In 2002, two lions, male, maned, seemingly African lions were sighted, then found, and killed in Arkansas.
No DNA analysis was done, neither of the bodies or samples were kept, nothing was mounted, or no one tried to figure out where the lions came from, if they were, indeed, escapees, in the first place. Instead, the bodies were destroyed, reportedly burned.
What happens if a discovered Panthera atrox, as theorized, is a look-alike for the African lion? Has evidence and verification already gone vanishing because people don’t know what they are looking at?
These existing photos of the two killed Arkansas lions (mostly one is shown), for September 23 and 24, 2002, which I archived at the time, clearly show a maned felid.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
My guess would be wolf/wolf hybrid or mountain lion. It’s a very large animal regardless, and lets hope that doesn’t mean it will end up dead due to some over zealous hunter.
To me it looks like a chow dog not a felid. why are the ark lion things so small? This reminds me of a story my grandfather told me about some people who shaved a big dog to look like a lion back illinois to scare people.
The tail is the main thing I’m looking at for it not being a cat. Most big cats keep their tail down, unless attacking. Chow head is possible, but I don’t think the rest of the body fits most large canines. Possibly an Akita. They get huge and have some felid characteristics (including retractable claws). Unfortunately cell phones are not reliable cameras, especially at distances. I do hope they keep this one alive.
i want to say its a lion…..but it looks too much like a chow.
as for the other two lions, they are the end result of a big game hunt. some hunters arent as good as they think and never find thier relased game.
Hmmm. So true…. when we find or shoot an animal we should be Mature and take a picture of it in every way.. from close up, to face to tail to body, to paws…etc. and if your able send it to cryptozoology and scientist..etc. but if you don’t have a camera or video camera and do not have any way of sending the body.. then leave it alone or at least hide it.
I’m very opened minded right now that the lose one is a American Lion or a unknown species.. even if it’s a African lion and a known canine.. still… it won’t hurt to be open minded due to the fact, humans in our times have found living fossils and new species of animals not recorded yet.. so.. 🙂
Hey; that most enlarged image of the california lion-chow-whatever looks sort of like the legendary Hodag…
this is a very interesting update article about the colorado lion. thanks bill green
The largest blowup looks like a dog. Maybe a chow, or a collie or longhaired shepherd or some mixed breed with a heavy coat. What I took for the profile of the animals’s face in the smaller photo, in the blowup looks like the mane of a running dog, seen from behind. The face of the animal is actually facing completely away from the camera which explains why you don’t see a long pointy muzzle. Also there appear to be “britches” of shaggy fur along the backs of the thighs like those found on big furry dogs (but not on lions). My conclusion is that this is a shaggy dog story.
Doesn’t look anything like a chow to me…I have a Husky, I’ve been around akitas and chows…the nose long and downward, the mane, the position of the ear, the length and shape of the tail, the hind legs…scream lion. That’s a lion. Not to mention, the eyewitnesses say positively lion, then their photo backs up their claim. Google a chow, no way that’s a chow. Chows snouts are short and their tail is a poof that nearly rests on their back. not even close. Akita are not maned, in fact google akita, that’s not close. Possible it got free from a nearby sanctuary, and the sanctuary recaptured the lion and is denying in order to avoid fines or loss of license?
Hmm. The pic isn’t very clear, but I’m going to have to go with those who are speculating that this could be a dog. Not a lot to go on with the images, but the tail and the set of the body just somehow scream dog to me. With the face pointed away from the camera, it could easily be canine, and no feature really seems to demand to be classified as undoubtedly that of a big cat. I agree with the observations made by Kittenz. If it weren’t for the apparently reddish color, I’d even say this could be the profile of a husky, malamute, or some cross breed thereof. Maybe there is a big cat loose, but as far as what we see in the pic, I’m going with some kind of shaggy dog for now, until clearer evidence becomes available.
I got no response from the folks I pinged at the ColoradoSprings Gazette about following up. Apparently, whatever it was, it’s not news anymore.
The tail interests me as well- comparing it with the picture of the Arkansas lion, it appears much bushier and consistent in size to the end. And I believe an African lion has a plume at the end of the tail as well. Having said that, I have no idea what it might be.
Oops. Said “California” – meant Colorado
It’s a chow german shepherd mix, or maybe a chow St. Bernard mix.
I think that thing’s tail might be doubled over on itself so you can’t see it properly, and appears twice its actual width. Too bad we didn’t recieve a voice recording…
It’s a dog baby! Yea!
That looks just like a rear view of my husky mix dog.
Look at the ears.
Dog.
I hope this mutt is prontly found by its owners. Stray dogs sadden me.
one more thing came to mind. african lions arent that elusive. the roar of a male lion can be heard for miles, they tend to let you know that they are in town.
If it is a chow, it’s a mangy, dishevelled one, for sure.
When I looked at the legs, I thought-“maybe unkempt poodle?”
Heh-heh-heh.
I’m sorry, intuitively I’m getting “lion.” I know, intuition don’t count for diddly-squat. Just putting my feelings out there.
Loren wrote: “In 2002, two lions, male, maned, seemingly African lions were sighted, then found, and killed in Arkansas.
No DNA analysis was done, neither of the bodies or samples were kept, nothing was mounted, or no one tried to figure out where the lions came from, if they were, indeed, escapees, in the first place. Instead, the bodies were destroyed, reportedly burned.”
Such indifference regarding a couple of seriously out of place apex predators is difficult to comprehend. Two grown, male African lions [assuming that they weren’t panthera atrox], are found wandering the Arkansas countryside, and nobody wants to know who, what, when, where, why?
“That something ya’ dont see every day, is it? Good work, men. Well-lets burn ’em and bury ’em.”
A simple lack of curiosity? Or perhaps something more sinister?
According to Wikipedia the male panthera atrox “would have lacked a mane.”
So the hypothesis that the (maned) Arkansas lions and the (maned) cryptid of El Paso County were panthera atrox is even more unlikely. Besides, the Arkansas lions look a bit small even for African lions, don’t they?
Don’t believe everything you read in Wikipedia about Panthera atrox not having a mane. Read the comparative material I assembled in Mysterious America.
Genetically, basically, there are only small differences between the African lion and the supposed extinct lions, the American, the cave, and the new subspecies of cave lion recently discovered for Siberia and North America. And guess what, cave drawings show cave lions with elementary manes (on juvenile males?).
But the Colorado incident may have little to do with maned atrox, anyway.
Sadly this was nothing more than just a mangy dog.
The only lion I ever saw built like that was following around a little girl, her dog, a scarecrow, and a tin woodsman.
This is a tough one. A chow mix certainly, but I have to disagree with german shepard theory. I am leaning more toward Chow X Akita with a little greate dane in the woodshed.
Loren said: “In 2002, two lions, male, maned, seemingly African lions were sighted, then found, and killed in Arkansas.
No DNA analysis was done, neither of the bodies or samples were kept, nothing was mounted, or no one tried to figure out where the lions came from, if they were, indeed, escapees, in the first place. Instead, the bodies were destroyed, reportedly burned.”
The fact that this occurred in Arkansas and nothing was done should explain everything! No offense to Arkansans, but with friends of mine, who live in Arkansas, they say this sounds just like what people in the hills or rural areas would do. In the first 2002 picture, can anyone make out what type of rifle that officer is carrying that is slung around his back.
The one thing that jumps out at me from the start is this is off a cell phone cam! There’s no telling what that could be. Even the most expensive ones here in the states are only three mp at best, and at that distance, well it could be a lion if you want it to be. I think that’s a dog, possible a mixed breed at that. Nothing too special if you as me. Also StinkFoot’s right, male lions are goin let you know their around simply be their massive roar.
I gotta say, the Arkansas “lions” look awfully small for maned adults. They are usually bigger than that before they ever fully grow a mane in the first place, as far as I can tell. Yet they look just like small versions of African lions. Strange.