For more than a week, people in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, have been fretting about a possible lion on the loose after a number of people reported seeing a large, cat-like creature prowling through the city.
After the animal was filmed walking through a residential backyard last week, there have been dozens more sightings.
Armed police have been deployed in the search for the creature, which has been front page news.
On Monday, police said they had received 14 calls over the weekend from people who said they spotted the creature. While responding to a sighting, one sergeant even spotted the animal, but wasn't able to catch it before it disappeared.
Photo gallery: The Milwaukee lion saga continues. http://t.co/Xs6K51UXz8
While some people think it might be a cougar/mountain lion, others suspect it could be an African lion.
Urban wildlife tracker weighs in on possible lion: "It looks like a female African lion." 9:51 http://t.co/Sxz2KejuAz
The local zoo had to announce last week all its lions were accounted for.
We're not sure what's running around the city, but all of our lions are safe and sound! #mkelion
Amid the panic, someone event shot a pit bull in the leg, mistaking it for the lion.
Does this look like a mountain lion to you? It does to a Milwaukee man who shot him (he's OK) http://t.co/VAGVx6FJ1i
To cope with all the fear of having a possible LION IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, people have been dressing their pets up.
Guys, don't worry. I found the #mkelion
A parody Twitter account has even sprung up.
.@Uber_WI how much to go from milwaukee to minoqua i am just wondering
Despite human instinct telling us to avoid Milwaukee until there is no longer a LION ON THE LOOSE, city officials have been trying to use the saga to their advantage.
#MKELION livin it up on Old World Third St... Must be headed to @MadersWI
Cougars and mountain lions are actually the same thing. An earlier version of this post, which was written by an unassuming Australian, did not know that there are actually a ton of different names for mountain lions.