The Civil Guard has suspended this Thursday the search for the alleged lion that would have been seen in the Sierra de San Vicente, in Toledo. After a day and a half of tracking, the agents have not found footprints, remains, or any other evidence that confirms the presence of a large feline in the area.
The operation also ended without new alerts since the call that originated everything. A delivery driver called 112 of Castilla-La Mancha at 10:43 AM on Wednesday and claimed to have briefly seen an animal similar to a lion.
The sighting occurred at kilometer 9 of the TO-1375 road, near the ruins of the Piélago convent. The road connects El Real de San Vicente with Navamorcuende and crosses a mountainous area frequented during the summer by residents, cyclists, and hikers.
Given the possibility that there really was a loose lion, the Civil Guard mobilized Citizen Security patrols, personnel from the Nature Protection Service (Seprona), a helicopter, and the Pegaso team, in charge of managing the drones of the Armed Institute.
A deployment by land and air
About twenty agents participated this Thursday morning in the latest search efforts. The operation has mainly covered the municipalities of Hinojosa de San Vicente and El Real de San Vicente, while nearby town councils asked their residents for caution.
The agents have also contacted municipal officials, ranchers, and members of the Body of Environmental Agents of Castilla-La Mancha. All checks have ended without providing any clues about the animal's presence.
One of the first steps was to check the zoos and enclosures with wild animals in the area. The Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura of Hinojosa de San Vicente confirmed that none of its specimens had escaped. Inquiries were extended to facilities in the Community of Madrid and other more distant centers, but none reported the disappearance of a lion.
The Civil Guard has also reviewed the location of large dogs, including Tibetan mastiffs and Great Danes. Their size and abundant fur could have caused confusion during a quick sighting from the road, although the agents have not identified the animal seen by the delivery driver either.
The mayor of Hinojosa de San Vicente, Roberto Cano, has acknowledged the strangeness experienced in recent hours. "The truth is that as mayor and as a person, it's a pretty surreal event," he explained after raising the possibility of confusion with a Tibetan mastiff.
The operation was suspended after 3:00 PM. The delivery driver remains the only person who claims to have seen the alleged feline. What animal actually crossed kilometer 9 of the TO-1375 remains unanswered.
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