A male African lion is believed on Wednesday to be roaming near Maniwaki, Que., after escaping from its owner the night before.

Cpl. Gordon McGregor of the Kitigan Zibi reserve police force confirmed Wednesday that they are looking for the 150-pound, two-year-old lion, which was a pet to local resident Stanley Dumas-Whiteduck.

The reserve is near Maniwaki, a town about 145 kilometres north of Ottawa. Schools and darecares are in lockdown.

McGregor said the force was unaware of the lion, which has been nicknamed Boomer, and is used to interacting with humans.

“We were caught by surprise by this,” he said.

“Apparently, what we’ve been told … it’s like a little pet, but that’s not a little pet to us and we’re taking this situation very seriously,” McGregor said.

“The fact that it’s been in the woods for a little while now, that concerns me because natural instincts might come back into play,” he said.

The Quebec provincial police have said they are also looking for the lion and have sent in a helicopter to aid in the search.

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