A search for a large cat was launched in north Belfast last night after several members of the public reported seeing a lion on the loose.

Police officers and a PSNI helicopter were tasked to search for the animal in the Cavehill Park area of the city last night.

As news of the lion began to circulate, staff from the nearby Belfast Zoo carried out a check of all their big cats, including lions and tigers, and concluded all their animals were “accounted for”.

A police spokeswoman said officers now believed the animal was in fact a large stray dog.

"Police can confirm that there's no stray lion wandering about in north Belfast," she said.

The search was launched yesterday evening after several calls were made to the PSNI from concerned people claiming they had seen a lion in the Upper Hightown end of Cavehill Park.

Last night police confirmed a search was launched after a number of witnesses described the animal “as a sandy-coloured lion or large non-domestic cat".