I was a Ft. Worth Police officer back in the spring of 1982. I worked the evening shift in a patrol car on the east side of Ft. Worth. The crime rate in the city was one of the highest in the country. We made many calls and saw a lot of strange things. My last call turned into a car chase and my adrenalin meter was still high. As soon as I became available to answer calls again the dispatcher accommodated me with another one. A concerned citizen called in and said there was an illegal pet at some condominiums in Woodhaven. He gave the dispatcher the address and hung up. The dispatcher sent me on my way with no backup. It was busy so there were no other units to send, and this didn’t seem like a big deal.
On my way to the call, I was trying to figure out what kind of animal it could be. I figured it was a big snake of some kind. We get those calls occasionally. I arrived at the scene and found the address. I rang the doorbell and beat on the door, no answer. Going around back, the condos had small fenced in patios. I found the right condo and looked through the wooden fence. The sliding doors were closed but the curtains were open. I could see inside the condo. I opened the gate and went into the patio area to get a better look. I could see most of the condo from where I was standing. There was a large white couch just inside the sliding doors with its back to me. I am now looking for a big snake. After a few seconds I moved closer to get a better look. Suddenly a massive head popped up from the other side of the couch. It took me a second to comprehend the fact that a lion was looking at me. The adrenalin meter just kicked way back up. He had a big, majestic mane, and an intimidating stare. We both stared at each other for a second as I drew my gun. I’m not pointing it at him, but I want to be ready in case he wants to lunge through the frail glass doors. Lions look a lot different when you’re standing six feet from them and not much to protect you in between.
I called the dispatcher to report what I’ve seen. I said, “Uh, ya know that illegal animal call?” She answered back in the affirmative. “Well, the illegal animal is a lion and he’s staring at me right now. Please start a supervisor to this address as well as animal control, and another unit if you have one. I really hope he’s eaten already.” She again answered in the affirmative but this time I could hear laughing in the background. Our dispatchers had a warped sense of humor. As I’m finishing up with the dispatcher and units are on their way, the lion got down off the couch and walked around to the sliding doors, I was in awe. He was huge and acted like a king. He was not aggressive but maintained eye contact the entire time. He stood there wondering what my intentions were. At this point I started thinking about what if I had to shoot him. I had a big gun with hollow point bullets which spread out and caused a lot of damage. I might end up killing him, but he wouldn’t die right away. He would probably have plenty of time to maul me to death. Or an even worse case scenario, the bullets don’t do anything except piss him off. I decided to go back out the gate and wait. He stared at me the whole time.
The supervisor showed up and was duly shocked by an adrenalin bump. Animal Control showed up and their mouths dropped open. After everyone recovered, they said they could shoot him with a tranquilizer if we can get in the condo. My supervisor and I were discussing how to get into the condo when the owner showed up. Now it’s his turn to be shocked. He asked me, “Why are you here. What’s wrong.”
I was perturbed, “Why is there a lion in your condo.”
“He lives with me. He’s my best friend. Now I don’t know what you’re planning but you need to just leave.”
I smiled, “It’s against the law to have a lion within the city limits of Fort Worth. We are going to leave but we’re taking the lion with us. You’re going to help us or you’re going to jail. If we have to go in without your help, that condo is going to be a big mess when we’re done. So choose. You got about ten seconds.”
His face was turning red he was so mad. He finally said, “He’s my partner. You can’t take him.”
I stood there with an impatient look, “Five seconds.”
“Okay, here’s the key to the front door. When you open it you’ll have a few seconds before he comes at you.”
I shook my head and handed the key to the animal control guys. They were listening and took the key around to the front door. I stayed on the patio with the Sargent, and the condo owner to watch what happens. The lion was still standing up against the sliding glass door looking at his owner wondering what was going on. He had no idea what was about to happen.
The animal control guys unlocked the front door and slowly opened it. One guy had the tranquilizer rifle and was inside enough to get a shot off. The lion heard the noise and decided to investigate. As soon as he came around the corner of the couch and saw the guy by the front door, he stopped for a second to evaluate the situation. The guy shot the lion and quickly pulled the door shut. The lion growled and started towards the front door. He didn’t make it there. After a few steps he fell over, he was out. After a minute or so of the lion not moving the animal control guys went in and checked him out. By this time two more animal control guys arrived, and they used a tarp to get him out to the animal control truck.
I ended up writing the condo owner several tickets. I wrote one for having an illegal pet within the city limits and a few others I made up about public safety. He wasn’t happy but I told him it was better than going to jail.
The lion was transported to a refuge in Grand Prairie and the last I heard was doing great. Everything turned out alright. No one got hurt including the lion. I thought about bringing an elephant gun to work in case I ran into anymore big animals but never did. I’m just glad I went home that night.