London police said officers responding to a report of a big cat with cheetah-like markings in an affluent neighborhood discovered the animal was a Savannah cat, a hybrid of a domestic cat and an African serval. Photo by 272447/Pixabay.com
"It was elongated, really too big for a domestic pet. The markings were like that of a cheetah or leopard," a resident who spotted the feline told the London Evening Standard.
An armed police unit was dispatched to the neighborhood and an animal expert accompanying the officers was able to catch a glimpse of the animal and identify it as a Savannah cat, a domesticated hybrid of a domestic cat and an African serval.
Police said the animal escaped into the undergrowth before they could capture it. The cat, which is believed to have escaped from a home in the area, remained at large Tuesday.
