Police: Rumored 'panther' wandering Spain is a big dog

Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Police in Spain said the hunt for a black panther reported roaming Guadalajara ended with the discovery of the suspected culprit -- a shaggy black dog.

Rumors of a black panther wandering the hills of the province persisted for weeks and were exacerbated by a video that appears to show a large black cat in the distance.

The Civil Guard opened an investigation into the possible panther and announced on Twitter that investigators believe the reports stemmed from sightings of a different animal -- a shaggy black dog.

The Civil Guard tweeted a photos and a video that investigators said "solves the mystery of the black panther" by revealing it as a common feral dog.

Some proponents of the panther theory said they are not convinced the dog photographed by the Civil Guard is the same that appears in the earlier video.

Agustin Lopez, director of biology at the Zoo Aquarium in Madrid, said it is possible for a panther to have escaped from an illegal private collection. He said the images in the original video are consistent with how a panther would move.