海角大神

A week after its initial sighting, the search for a mysterious creature dubbed the Milwaukee Lion continues.

Since the first sighting of a lion-like animal roaming a residential neighborhood in Milwaukee, on July 20, the elusive big cat has been spotted all around the city and earned local celebrity status. Police say they have investigated dozens of reported sightings and one grainy cell phone video, but have yet to catch the animal.聽

The mysterious lion has become a source of amusement for many local residents. It even has a Twitter handle, @milwaukee_lion, with more than 4,000 followers at press time.聽

But not all Milwaukeeans are laughing.

鈥淚鈥檓 taking it very seriously,鈥� said one resident, Jackie Bradley, to The New York Times. When a sighting was reported Monday in her quiet residential neighborhood, she forbade her three grandchildren to play outside and brought her dog inside the house. 鈥淚 have a six-foot fence, but I鈥檓 worried a lion could jump the fence.鈥�

Last week, one man accidentally shot a large cream-colored pit bull in his neighborhood when he mistook it for the lion. The dog is expected to make a recovery.聽

The search intensified over the weekend, as law enforcement and Department of Natural Resources staff armed with rifles and tranquilizer guns searched a ravine and the surrounding neighborhood after the animal was spotted by multiple citizens and police officers. The extensive search produced no results.聽

The creature鈥檚 elusiveness has led some Milwaukeeans to doubt its existence, garnering comparisons to Bigfoot.

鈥淎 lion is at the top of the food chain. It鈥檚 been a week, and it hasn鈥檛 eaten yet?鈥� said resident Michael Chachere to the Times, pointing out that there should have been sightings of dead animals or even missing children. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a waste of city taxpayers鈥� money, to be honest.鈥�

On Wednesday, animal control workers set non-lethal traps baited with human food in hopes of attracting the lion, which Karen Sparapani, executive director of the聽Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission,聽says is likely an escaped or released exotic pet. If caught, the animal will be sent to an animal sanctuary in Sharon, Wisconsin.

This report includes materials from the Associated Press.聽