THIS picture is thought to be of the lion cops are hunting in Essex.

People were warned to stay indoors after a lion was seen in a field beside a caravan site.

More than 30 officers, some armed, joined the hunt in St Osyth, near Clacton.

On first glance this shadowy image, taken by a witness, shows a large creature with a long tail and two glowing eyes standing underneath a streetlamp.

But when the picture is lightened, a process which simply removes the shadows, it looks very much like a lion.

Cops showed pictures of the ‘beast’ to experts from Colchester Zoo — who said they believed it WAS a lion.

But it is unclear whether the image we have obtained is the same one shown to the zoo.

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