Police have been on the hunt for an 'African Lynx', which was spotted prowling the woods in a UK village.
Cops in Derbyshire received reports that a pointy-eared beast with dark grey fur had been seen roaming the centre of Ticknall recently.
Unsurprisingly, the force were not 100 percent convinced the sighting was legit, but sent out a patrol to have a look for the animal on 29 October just in case.
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However, after a 12-hour search of the woods in Ticknall, the team came back empty-handed.
A spokesperson for the Merica Police Safer Neighbourhood Team said: "The slinky feline, which was described by the informant as resembling an African lynx was seen near the showground in the heart of the village.
"The cat-like, cunning beast was said to have a giant body, pointed ears and was of a dark grey appearance
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"Officers were briefed that the cat was apparently extremely large and was last seen in the Ticknall area around 7.30am hours on Friday morning."
Describing the search, police joked that the closest they came to an African Lynx was a bottle of deodorant.
It said: "Armed with binoculars and donned in camouflage as well as suitable-for-the-occasion-headwear, the team attempted to tempt the cat out of its hiding place with tasty treats, combined with repetitive calls such as, 'Here, Kitty, Kitty'.
"With frustration, after a 12-hour search in dark, dank woodland the only item that was found that resembled an African Lynx was a bottle of Lynx Africa body spray.
"The offending deodorant can of litter has now been put behind bars and the search for the big cat will continue over the weekend's shifts.
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"A big thank you to the local community who assisted with the search, especially Ranger Karl from Staunton Harold Reservoir who provided much-needed, warming drinks in the torrential monsoon conditions.
"Clearly this creature has nine lives and we missed it by a whisker.
"On a serious note, if anyone observes a big cat near Ticknall please telephone 101 quoting Incident 312 of 29/10/21."
According to Staffordshire Live, this isn't the first time a lynx has been spotted in the area, with a number of reports over the past 15 years
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People have also reported seeing huge paw prints in Amber Valley, Burton, Buxton, Derbyshire Dales and Derby.
Some have claimed that big cats were released after the law in the UK changed back in the 1970s, with owners required to purchase a licence in order to house one.
Anyone with any have information about the big cat is urged to contact Derbyshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 312 of 29/10/21.
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