Sunday 6 November 2011

The Shepley Lion: News in the Roar

Today is a classic example of how the Internet can make wacky stories develop a life of their own.

Earlier in the day one of my friends re-tweeted a National Rail post that a lion had been spotted crossing a train line with a cub near Shepley near Huddersfield. No matter how unlikely this seems - if it does exist then it must have escaped from some sort of private zoo unless it's picked West Yorkshire as an unusual holiday destination - it's really come alive on the internet, covered by the BBC, The Guardian, The Belfast Telegraph, The Huffington Post, and many others you can find from a quick Google search.

But it doesn't stop there in the world of social networks. Already the lion is on Twitter (@shepley_lion) and there is even now a lion cuddly toy available for purchase on Amazon. Granted it's a standard toy with a PhotoShopped t-shirt print but still, I kid you not.

I'm off to bed now. If I don't wake up in the morning to find it has a Facebook fan page and a blog I'll be disappointed. And if it's not covered in the Sun with a headline like 'Lion spotted on the Mane-Line' or 'Leaves on the line? No lion on the line' I'll be upset.

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