Carl gets paws for thought over lion

Imran Ali | 30th June 2008

Carl Swanson is determined to revisit the scene near a quarry in Kaiwaka where he claims he saw a lion - but not until he finds a gun.

The 18-year-old Tikipunga student was among 100 fire, police and St John personnel participating in an exercise in the Parker Lime Company quarry on Gibbons Rd in late May when he made the frightening sighting.

He's adamant the very large cat he saw was a lion - judging from the way it looked and walked.

Mr Swanson was playing the part of a patient in a car inside the quarry waiting to be rescued when he looked up the hill and saw the animal.

"I told my colleague and it [the lion] was actually looking at us ... like staring for a good one minute before it stood up and started walking on the edge of the quarry," he said.

"That was the walk of a lion ... really soft. In comparison to the trees in the background, it was massive and it kept walking around and eventually disappeared.

"I am pretty sure it was a lion ... a big, big cat because I saw its whole side and thought it was something strange in the hills."

Mr Swanson said the lion was the size of a labrador and was about 2m long.

On whether he'll go back to have another look, he said: "With a gun just in case ...

Years ago, a minister claimed he saw a lion while out duck shooting and he bolted straight to his car.

Carl's dad Allan, who is a training officer with the Northland Fire Region, said the quarry was seen as an ideal location for mock exercises with crew from the Auckland brigade.

"It's quite funny because there have been no stories of cows or sheep being mauled but when you get one person, then two and three people saying the same thing, then something's got to be up there."

His first question when Carl told him that night about what he saw was: "Say that again, son?"