A mysterious skeletal creature has been spotted slinking through the gardens of a quiet market village.
Julie McCarthy posted an image of the ridge-backed animal on the Castle Donington, Hemington and Lockington Community page, where it's racked up dozens of comments from people trying to pin down exactly what it could be.
While some called it a beast, others joked it looked like a "tiger" or could be a Tasmanian devil - a carnivorous marsupial found exclusively in Australasia, Leicestershire Live reports.
The guessing game has continued, with residents from across the Leicestershire town and surrounding villages still making suggestions to try to unravel the mystery.
The blurry photo shows the powerful looking animal running through a garden in the early hours of Friday morning (April 1).
Julie's original post, which has racked up close to 50 comments on the community page, reads: “Any ideas what this creature is that ran over my garden just before dawn? Doesn't look [like a] cat or fox…”
Guesses since it was posted have been wide-ranging. Some have been clearly less serious than others. “Tiger,” said one person. “Tasmanian devil,” said another.
“Looks like a really underweight lurcher?” guessed a third more serious person.
Whatever the animal is, many felt sorry for it. Its thin appearance was a concern for plenty of posters.
“Whatever it is, dog or fox, the poor thing looks poorly and undernourished,” said one person.
“Looks like a scrawny thin fox,” said another.
“Can just about make out a bit of white end of tail," one claimed, while another chimed in: “I think it's a fox but it seems underweight."
Many believed that they had seen the same animal in their gardens, too, and suggested that the thin fox was suffering from the skin condition mange. If left untreated, it can cause the loss of fur and scabs as well as sores - something which many users said it was clearly suffering from.
“It looks like the same fox that’s been visiting us,” revealed one person.
“Bad case of mange, with no fur on hind quarters and tail.”
“He definitely has a skin condition on his back end and has lost his fur,” said another.
“Poor little thing. So sad to know the poor fox is out there in that state,” added a third.
People then called on others who spotted the animal to call experts whenever they spot the critter in the hope the 'fox' can get treatment. It is unclear if the animal has been found by experts at this stage.
