Gahanna police spent the morning on the prowl and poised for a fight, just in case they ran into a lion on the loose.
There are three confirmed sightings of the lion, but police say she never surfaced Tuesday.
The first sighting came from a Columbus police officer around 8 p.m.; he saw the lion crossing Taylor Road near Taylor Station Road.
The second came from a courier, who saw her off Technology Drive.
The last confirmed visual was from some CSX workers who spotted the lion on the railroad tracks heading toward the airport.
One eyewitness says, "You know how lions just stroll, that's how it was. Were all in the office and I said. 'There it is.' With his tail up in the air, it was a lion."
Jim is sure he saw the animal out his kitchen window. He says, "There is no way this could have been a great big dog. No. The legs were different."
A whole crowd believes it was a lion up on the hill on Claycraft Road.
"It was definitely [a lion]. It was too big to be a dog and it wasn't a deer," says resident Tiffany Kelly.
In the Gahanna neighborhood near last night's sightings, the lion was topic one Tuesday.
Jane Alden kept the kids inside all day, explaining, "I'm not comfortable with it roaming around with all these woods around here."
Dennis Green of Gahanna chose to go outside instead. "We've got a wedding coming up and I've got to get the place ready," he says.
Another resident chose to mow his lawn. Coby Utterman says, "I figured an animal that size would be afraid of a lawnmower."
Everyone, both adventurous and cautious, are wondering where she is and hoping no one gets hurt, including the elusive lion.
So what are the laws about having exotic animals in Ohio? People at the Columbus Zoo say the state code is essentially silent.
"It requires no license or permit to really own an animal like that or to transport one across the state. You don't even have to live here, but just to driving through with an animal in your vehicle," says Don Winstel of the Columbus Zoo.
Officials with the state Department of Agriculture say tracking exotic animal in Ohio is hard to do since there is no registration.
source. WBNS - 10TV in Columbus..
http://www.10tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1836733&nav=LUERMoCy
