Earlier this week, videos circulated around Irish social media that appeared to show a lion on the loose in East Clare, Ireland. Concerned, residents reported the videos to the local police, who eagerly investigated the supposed sightings.

But what they found wasn’t a fearsome lion, it was a dog with a funny haircut.

Named “Mouse,” the “lion” was actually a Newfoundland that had recently been groomed. The haircut gave him a bit of a mane. Split the G a few times and fog up your glasses, and you can see how someone might mistake the kind pup for a lion.

In short: If you’re at the zoo, it’s probably a lion. If you’re in rural Ireland, I’m going to say in 99 out of 100 cases, it’s a dog.

Mystery solved! Turns out the “lion” spotted roaming Clare was just a Newfoundland dog with a fresh haircut!

Gardaí from Killaloe have concluded that the recent video of a “lion like” animal roaming around the woods in East Clare is in fact the very friendly dog named ‘Mouse’. pic.twitter.com/xjlms0nNaY

— Garda Info (@gardainfo) November 4, 2025