Wanted since October 13 in Pas-de-Calais, a “big cat” could prove dangerous for the population. This Saturday, October 17, the prefecture has just authorized the right to shoot him while research continues.
The beast was seen by about twenty gendarmes Wednesday evening, after the report of a resident, said the local gendarmerie. The mysterious animal has been spotted on several occasions in the communes of Frévent and Auxi-le-Château. Despite the deployment of an “important device” by the national gendarmerie, this “big feline” is still running.
“We are not sure whether it is a lion or a lioness. But it is certain that it is a big feline ”, specified the gendarmes, while appeals for caution were addressed locally to the population.
An animal that does not fear man
According to the gendarmerie, “the animal does not fear humans and does not flee homes”. “Armed forces” could be deployed to protect the population. The gendarmerie even enlisted the services of the French Biodiversity Office to track down the animal, “trying to determine its area of development”, but also “its exact species” thanks to its traces and excrement.
The prefecture specifies that “no person or establishment has reported the disappearance of such an animal”. It invites anyone with information to approach the gendarmerie, even anonymously.