On July 14, local residents received a reverse 911 call from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department. An African lion had been spotted on Coyote Lane, just north of Garrett Road. Residents were urged to stay inside and keep their pets safe.According to a source at the sheriff’s office, “Half the experts say it’s a lion and half say it’s a big dog.”Nick Scoulac, an employee at Big Cats of Serenity Springs in Calhan, Colo., has been working with exotic cats for 36 years. “I saw the photograph that was taken; it was definitely not a cat. I’m sure it was a large dog,” Scoulac said. “There was one partial paw print and it was definitely canine and not feline. Once the story goes out that there’s a lion, suddenly everyone is seeing it.”Deputies searched by car, on foot and by helicopter, but the animal wasn’t spotted again.When Michael Seraphim of the Colorado Division of Wildlife arrived, he was asked if the animal would be taken down with a tranquilizer dart or a regular shotgun. “It depends on the circumstances,” Seraphim said. “If any humans were in danger, the only response would be ‘shoot to kill.'”The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent out a tracking team to help, the Colorado State Patrol was on hand and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo sent a response team.
