WEST Yorkshire Police pride themselves on thorough investigations.

And they have now confirmed that despite a two-hour hunt for a lion cub in Shepley, the incident is being treated as a hoax.

However police investigating the sightings in Shepley took the three calls deadly seriously on Sunday afternoon and dispatched 12 officers to search the village.

The search even disrupted rail passengers who were not allowed to get off at Shepley station because one report said the lion had been seen on the lines.

One sighting was in the car park of The Cask and Spindle pub in Abbey Road, a second at Birdsedge about two miles away and a third on the railway line at Shepley.

But after the extensive search involving a police helicopter the inquiry was brought to a close with no lions found, and no further sightings.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said yesterday: “We are presently treating this as a hoax.

“Enquiries into the incident are ongoing, but the police take the issue of hoax calls or the wasting of police time very seriously and if any offenders are caught, offenders face a fine and a criminal record.”

Kirklees Council, which runs a licensing system for dangerous wild animals, confirmed they currently have one animal on their register – but it was not a lion.

They declined to reveal details of the animal on the list but a spokeswoman said: “However if members of the public think that someone is keeping a primate, snakes, spiders, large reptiles or anything they suspect may be dangerous they should let us know so we can investigate.”

Meanwhile the talk of big cats has brought back memories of Fenella, the tiger who was the pet of circus family, the Overends, who lived in the Holmfirth area in the 1940s.

She was famous in her lifetime and valley residents flocked to see her when she was walked around the streets of Holmfirth on a rope.

Fenella remained in Holmfirth, cared for by sisters Kassie and Meg Overend, until she died in 1950, aged 10.

In another animal mystery in the 1950s, Huddersfield police were called in to search for a missing monkey.

The ‘rooftop monkey chase’ as reported in The Examiner in 1952, was launched after Jackie a five-month-old pet monkey belonging to Mr Jack Robinson, of Holmfirth, escaped.

He was soon spotted on the rooftops in Huddersfield Road and led would-be captors a merry dance before being returned home.

l Have you seen the Shepley lion? Did you phone the police to report the sightings?

Call the newsdesk on 01484 437712.