World of the Bizarre

'Lion' on the loose in Ireland turns out to have very bizarre explanation

By T.K. Randall
November 11, 2025

Image: Lion in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Credit: Thomas Fuhrmann / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Concerns had been raised earlier this month when footage emerged of a large, lion-like beast that had been spotted by a lorry driver in the woods of eastern County Clare, Ireland.

"The animal had been seen before by harvesters working on the site, but it was from a distance, moving through the trees," said local forestry manager John O'Reilly.

"We assumed it was a deer before the video was captured."

Before long, efforts were underway to track down and identify the creature.

As it turned out, however, the culprit wasn't a lion... it was a dog.The friendly canine was in fact a Newfoundland with a haircut that had made it look as though it had a mane.

Named Mouse, the curious dog had simply been roaming around exploring the woods.

"[Mouse] is delighted with his recent viral video clip," the police joked.

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Source: UPI.com

Tags: Ireland, Lion