An animal, believed to be a lion, is on the loose in northwest France, authorities have confirmed.

Police in Mayenne said that they are hunting for what they think could be either a lioness or young male lion after a series of calls from members of the public between the town of Laval and the village of Vaiges.

A farmer told officers he had seen a creature he believed was a lion in a field near the road east of Laval. At around the same time, a woman called officers after seeing deer fleeing from woods near her home shortly after she heard a noise described as a roar from the vicinity. And a truck driver also claimed to have seen a large cat-like creature by the side of the road that he thought was the same animal

There was no circus in the area at the time of the sightings and no zoos or shelters have reported a missing animal. Police are working on a theory that the animal may have escaped from a private collection and may have been brought into the country illegally.

A search team, with dogs, has been combing the area.