By Tim Binnall
A call about a mysterious big cat lurking in a British village sparked a rather bizarre hours-long police search for the creature. The weird case occurred last Friday evening when Derbyshire Police received word of a sizeable feline "resembling an African Lynx" that was spotted in the community of Ticknall. The cat, cops were told, had "a giant body, pointed ears and was of a dark grey appearance." Understandably concerned about the prospect of a big cat roaming the village, a team of officers was dispatched to investigate the matter which wound up taking something of a comedic turn.
In detailing the call on their Facebook page, the Swadlincote Police Safer Neighborhood Team explained that they searched the area for a staggering twelve hours, but were unable to locate the big cat. Their description of the effort is decidedly tongue in cheek, explaining that they tried to enlist 'Crocodile' Dundee in the hunt and "attempted to tempt the cat out of its hiding place with tasty treats, combined with repetitive calls such as: 'Here, Kitty, Kitty.'" Ultimately, the team said that the search ended when they stumbled upon "a bottle of African Lynx body spray" which they 'took into custody.'
Suggesting that their efforts were more than merely a work of creative writing, the department's post on Facebook included several photos of the search team in action, including one officer that was armed with a box of cat treats and another photo of the deodorant 'behind bars.' Their post also concludes with a "serious note" asking any residents who encounter the big cat to report their sighting to the department, which suggests that the initial call about the 'monstrous creature' was genuine even if the efforts to find it eventually turned into a bit of merry-making on the part of police.