Spanish police have taken to social media to reveal that a "lion" that was spotted roaming around the town of Molina de Segura was, in fact, a large dog.

When the authorities received a call about the animal, they were expecting a complicated situation to ensue. What happened next was nothing short of hilarious.

As per social media posts from the station, the police had received numerous calls alerting them to the presence of a lion in the area.

However, when they arrived at the scene of one of the sightings, they were able to detain the animal and scan it for a microchip, which quickly revealed that it was actually a large dog.

Further confusion was added to the situation by the dog's haircut, which was fashioned into a lion's mane and tail, so it's easy to see why locals were more than a little alarmed when they saw it roaming around town.

Molina de Segura local police revealed to the Huffington Post that the dog's microchip meant that it was soon reunited with its owner. However, the reason for its unusual haircut remains unknown.

In a message that has been translated to English, a spokesperson said: "We're investigating and waiting for some results. We don't know the motive for shaving it that way. For now, there's no justifiable motive. We have to confirm the vaccines and documents are correct, but fortunately, the dog is fine."

Meanwhile, in other lion-related news, this baboon unknowingly recreated this iconic scene from The Lion King, and this desperate woman was forced to punch a mountain lion in the face to stop it from mauling her dog.

Spanish police have taken to social media to reveal that a "lion" that was spotted roaming around the town of Molina de Segura was, in fact, a large dog.

When the authorities received a call about the animal, they were expecting a complicated situation to ensue. What happened next was nothing short of hilarious.

As per social media posts from the station, the police had received numerous calls alerting them to the presence of a lion in the area.

However, when they arrived at the scene of one of the sightings, they were able to detain the animal and scan it for a microchip, which quickly revealed that it was actually a large dog.

Further confusion was added to the situation by the dog's haircut, which was fashioned into a lion's mane and tail, so it's easy to see why locals were more than a little alarmed when they saw it roaming around town.

Molina de Segura local police revealed to the Huffington Post that the dog's microchip meant that it was soon reunited with its owner. However, the reason for its unusual haircut remains unknown.

In a message that has been translated to English, a spokesperson said: "We're investigating and waiting for some results. We don't know the motive for shaving it that way. For now, there's no justifiable motive. We have to confirm the vaccines and documents are correct, but fortunately, the dog is fine."

Meanwhile, in other lion-related news, this baboon unknowingly recreated this iconic scene from The Lion King, and this desperate woman was forced to punch a mountain lion in the face to stop it from mauling her dog.