A sighting and a video of a possible lion on the loose in woodlands in Co Clare was reported to and investigated by gardai last week.
However, garda investigators could not find any trace of the large animal, gardai confirmed when contacted.
Garda headquarters confirmed in a statement: “Gardaí received report of a large animal in a wooded area in Co. Clare on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. Enquiries were carried out.”
It is understood that the report was made to gardaí in “good faith” but that investigators could not find any trace of the large animal depicted in the video. The footage appears to have been taken by a truck driver. Sources say “it might appear to resemble a lion” but that there is “no evidence” that it was.
“Gardai are aware of the video. We do not believe there’s a lion stalking the woodlands of Co Clare, or that there is a lion escaped from the zoo. People shouldn’t be afraid to go to the woods and everyone should sleep easy tonight – the chances of a lion attack on any member of the public this weekend is extremely remote,” according to a source.
A still from the video
Meath forest manager reports sightings
of ‘animal that looks like a lion’ roaming
in Co. Clare woodland
There is one case in Irish history where a lion was on the loose in Ireland and attacked a member of the public. In 1951, an escaped lion in Dublin attacked a teenager.
In November 1951, a lioness escaped from a Dublin-based lion breeder’s enclosure in Fairview, Dublin. The incident caused terror in the community and the lion mauled a teenage apprentice mechanic. The lioness attacked the 16-year-old, who was a petrol pump attendant, and also injured its owner before being shot and killed by gardai.
The incident, which involved the lion prowling around a schoolyard before being cornered, became a famous local event and was later the subject of a documentary.