SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

This is part of a news item that was reported today:-"A police helicopter was scrambled and passengers were stopped from leaving a train after police received a report of a lion on the loose. West Yorkshire Police received a call at 3.30pm on Sunday from a woman who thought she saw a lion as she was driving in the village of Shepley near Huddersfield. The search lasted almost two hours as officers tried to locate the lion and passengers were forced to remain onboard trains at Shepley station. But at 5.15pm the inquiry was ended as no lions were found and there were no additional sightings.".The police said they think the caller genuinely thought she saw a lion. OK it's not Leeds but in view of the occasional claimed sightings of large cats in recent years (particularly to the north and east of Leeds) I do wonder if there are some around (I don't though recall hearing of any claims for a year or two now). A few years back while walking along Arthington Road I saw a very large black cat in grass at the side of the road. It was dead and clearly had been sometime as it was very swollen looking, but it could easily have been thought to have been a very large cat.

Leodian wrote: This is part of a news item that was reported today:-"A police helicopter was scrambled and passengers were stopped from leaving a train after police received a report of a lion on the loose. West Yorkshire Police received a call at 3.30pm on Sunday from a woman who thought she saw a lion as she was driving in the village of Shepley near Huddersfield. The search lasted almost two hours as officers tried to locate the lion and passengers were forced to remain onboard trains at Shepley station. But at 5.15pm the inquiry was ended as no lions were found and there were no additional sightings.".The police said they think the caller genuinely thought she saw a lion. OK it's not Leeds but in view of the occasional claimed sightings of large cats in recent years (particularly to the north and east of Leeds) I do wonder if there are some around (I don't though recall hearing of any claims for a year or two now). A few years back while walking along Arthington Road I saw a very large black cat in grass at the side of the road. It was dead and clearly had been sometime as it was very swollen looking, but it could easily have been thought to have been a very large cat. If it was seen at a station it was probably a railway lion. I'll get me coat.

That made me majorhoundii.

It wasnt a lion, but when I was driving through Ben Rhyding about 6 years ago a large cat of the non-domestic variety crossed the road infront of my car. I was on my way to the car boot sale and myself and my girlfriend were pretty stunned at what we saw. It was in a pretty residential area on the edge of Ilkley moor and the cat was roaming about freely and not at all like it was panicked or anything. It ambled through some fencing into a large garden and sauntered away through the bushes. It looked more like a cross between a cheetah and a leopard and it was about 3 times the size of a domestic cat. Its as though someone was keeping some exotic pet and allowing it to roam about. I wonder if anyone else ever saw it?

As it happens my friends was the signalman on duty at Huddersfield during this er, fiasco .... kept me up to date via Facebook. I couldn't believe it at first! Mind you plenty of crocodiles about in the streets here (Bangkok) due to the floods apparently!

jonleeds wrote: It wasnt a lion, but when I was driving through Ben Rhyding about 6 years ago a large cat of the non-domestic variety crossed the road infront of my car. I was on my way to the car boot sale and myself and my girlfriend were pretty stunned at what we saw. It was in a pretty residential area on the edge of Ilkley moor and the cat was roaming about freely and not at all like it was panicked or anything. It ambled through some fencing into a large garden and sauntered away through the bushes. It looked more like a cross between a cheetah and a leopard and it was about 3 times the size of a domestic cat. Its as though someone was keeping some exotic pet and allowing it to roam about. I wonder if anyone else ever saw it? In the seventies it was very fashionable for rich people to keep exotic animals like lions, tigers and bears (geddit) and the government passed a law prohibiting this. Many were released into the wild and it's believed have survived and bred - lions, leopards and tigers can interbreed. It's from this stock that the many reported sightings of large cats all over the country are thought to have come.

Hmm, this wasnt all that long ago though, do you think that some well off folk in the environs of Ilkley had been keeping these exotic cats and had to let them go so they roamed free on Ilkley moor feasting on sheep and jack russells?

jonleeds wrote: Hmm, this wasnt all that long ago though, do you think that some well off folk in the environs of Ilkley had been keeping these exotic cats and had to let them go so they roamed free on Ilkley moor feasting on sheep and jack russells? Then all the exotic cats will eat thee up on Ilkla Moor bah tat.

Apparently trains were delayed on the mane line. Perhaps they couldn't find it as it had hidden in the autumn foliage - leaves on the lion If it's true (and it's a blooming big if) then Shepley to Leeds is easily within the roaming range of such an animal. And now it seems the have discovered the railways, perhaps it's planning on getting a DayRover?

raveydavey wrote: Apparently trains were delayed on the mane line. Perhaps they couldn't find it as it had hidden in the autumn foliage - leaves on the lion If it's true (and it's a blooming big if) then Shepley to Leeds is easily within the roaming range of such an animal. And now it seems the have discovered the railways, perhaps it's planning on getting a DayRover? If it's a leopard I look forward to reading a headline 'Leopard spotted at mane lion station'. Imagine though the excitement there would be if a big predatory cat jumped off a train at Leeds City Station!