Mysterious ’Lion-Like’ Animal Attacks Shepherd in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains

The persistent rumor of a reappearance of the Atlas lion, a species considered extinct in the 1930s, is taking hold. A breeder in his sixties was suddenly attacked by an animal resembling a lion on his livestock while grazing his sheep near Douar Amrous in the province of Khenifra, reports the website Al Omk. "I was grazing my sheep as usual on the banks of the Amrous wadi when I was surprised by a large animal resembling a lion attacking my livestock, which fled, before I did the same towards my house, although it was hairless, as is known with lions," recounts Mohamed, the victim of the animal attack. Immediately afterwards, he contacted the authority agent of the douar. "I contacted the authority agent of the douar who, in turn, informed the commander of the Moulay Bouazza circle who came with officials to the scene to examine the incident and understand the details of the case in order to take the necessary measures," adds Mohamed, convinced that he saw a lion and not a wolf or a hyena. He will specify that the distance that separated him from the animal did not exceed 30 meters.

In a press release, the National Agency of Water and Forests (ANEF) confirmed that it has launched, in collaboration with the local authorities and the Royal Gendarmerie of the province of Khenifra, a large-scale combing operation in the regions concerned to search for this animal and verify the veracity of the reported information.

This new animal attack comes after the dissemination of information and testimonies on the appearance of a wild animal in Sebt Ait Rahou in the province of Khenifra, and in the forests of Tifoughaline and Bouqachmir in the Oulmès region, suspected of being an Atlas lion. Hamid, a resident of the douar, says he found himself face to face with an animal believed to be a lion on Monday, December 18, while traveling at dawn by mule to the Tnine Ait Boukhayou market. A few days later, a young shepherdess claimed to have been suddenly attacked in the same village by a wild animal resembling the one described by Hamid.

The National Agency of Water and Forests (ANEF) conducted field research to locate traces in the reported localities and surrounding areas, as well as to gather additional information from resource persons. The analysis of the footprints discovered in the neighboring natural areas shows that they belong to specimens of the canidae family, probably a dog or a North African golden jackal. The ANEF also stated that the autopsy performed on a lamb in Oulmès, presumed to have been attacked by a lion according to local testimonies, revealed that the bite marks do not correspond to those of a lion. These bites "are relatively small, thus excluding any involvement of a large feline and rather corresponding to a canid," it explained.