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Police respond to report of big cat on the loose in London

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
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

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May 26 (UPI) -- Police responded to an affluent London neighborhood on a report of a "big cat" with cheetah-like markings and determined the animal was a domesticated Savannah cat.

Residents of the area unofficially known as Billionaire's Row, located in the Hampstead Heath-East Finchley area of London, called police Monday night to report a big cat was on the loose.

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"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.

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