A male African lion cub is believed to be roaming near Maniwaki, Que., on Wednesday after escaping from its owner the night before.

Quebec provincial police spokeswoman Melanie Larouche said the animal was last seen around 9:30 p.m. on Highway 105, about one kilometre south of Maniwaki, a community about 145 kilometres north of Ottawa.

Ruby Whiteduck, who is related to the owner, Stanley Dumas Whiteduck, told CBC News the lion is a 150-pound cub that's less than a year old, not a two-year-old adult as previously reported.

She said the animal, named Boomer, escaped from a home at the Kitigan Zibi Algonquin First Nation reserve after being taken out for a walk Tuesday evening and then tied with a dog leash.

The lion reportedly comes when he is called, has been fed from a bottle and is litter trained.

Nevertheless, schools and daycares in the area are closed and police are urging the public to be careful.

Helicopter helping with search

Cpl. Gordon McGregor of the Kitigan Zibi reserve police force said police had set up a security perimeter, and were looking for the animal and deploying a helicopter equipped with a heat-seeking camera Wednesday afternoon to help with the search.

“In the meantime, we’re putting out a security message to all our community members and [those] at the town of Maniwaki to stay near your kids, be careful, don’t go out at night and especially don’t go out in the woods.”

McGregor said the force was previously unaware of the presence of the lion, which is used to interacting with humans.

"We were caught by surprise by this," he said. "Apparently, what we've been told … it's like a little pet, but that's not a little pet to us and we're taking this situation very seriously.

"The fact that it's been in the woods for a little while now, that concerns me because natural instincts might come back into play."