According to a report from WSAZ NewsChannel 3, on November 19, 2007, Monday of this week, there was an “African Lion on the Loose in Ohio.”

Motorist driving in the area of US 23 near Wakefield, in Pike County, Ohio, saw an African lion chasing their vehicles.

However, in this case, law enforcement officers caught the lion, “Lambert,” and returned him to its owner. The lion was a bona fide escaped pet.

NewsChannel 3 calmly commented: “Ohio does not currently require a permit for exotic animals. The lion was contained and unharmed, but the whole ordeal is still under investigation.”

It is doubtful this episode has anything to do with the recent West Virginia sightings, however, because this Ohio story was a brief escape and a time-limited event. Still, interestingly, this media account ranks up there in high-powered number-name game content (e.g. “23,” “Pike,” and “Lambert”).

Thanks to kittenz, appropriately, for passing along this story. It was the cat’s meow.