KILLALOE GARDAÍ have solved the mystery of a reported ‘lion-like’ animal in the woods of East Clare.
By Dearbhla Parry
Reported sightings and footage of a potential lion emerged last week with reports made to Gardaí.
However, once on the scene in Woodpark Forest Park in Mountshannon, any trace of the lion was gone and garda investigators were unable to confirm whether the identity of the animal was in fact a lion. They reported that “enquiries were carried out” accordingly.
Gardaí in Killaloe have since confirmed that the so-called lion was in fact a Newfoundland dog named ‘Mouse’ whose coat and tail had been shaved to resemble that of a lion. “The recent video of a lion-like animal roaming around the woods in East Clare is in fact the very friendly Mouse, a Newfoundland dog who is delighted with his recent viral video clip”.
Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) told The Clare Echo, “Like many people, I was amused and intrigued by the reported sighting of a lion in Mountshannon. The guards have now discovered that the ‘lion’ is in fact a beautiful Newfoundland dog, with a very snazzy haircut, named ‘Mouse’. Hats off to the guards for clearing all of this up – I think this is one of the humorous stories that will go down in the lore of our county”.
The video was captured by a passing truck driver who had been hauling timber. It shows Mouse walking into the woods and disappearing. Forest manager John O’Reilly said that harvesters working on the site had spotted the “lion” before, but only from a distance and assumed it was a deer. “I’m not saying for certain that it is a lion, but it does look to have a mane and a long tail. Some people even think that someone might have shaved their dog as a joke,” O’Reilly remarked at the time, a comment which turned out to be true.
“At a time when AI imagery and confusion as to whether online content is real or fake is so rampant, it fell on the guards in Killaloe Station to investigate and to establish the true facts,” Deputy Crowe explained.
