Ghost Mountain Lion Seen in Mass.

In another case of people being told they didn't see what they thought they saw, several people in the town of Shirley, Mass., are being told they haven't seen a mountain lion.

This is despite the fact that several residents have seen what has been described as a mountain lion, including the town's public works director and the police chief.

Such stories are relatively common in these parts. Someone says they've seen a mountain lion and then describe the animal they saw as, well, a mountain lion.

But then a government agency steps in and tells everyone to relax, it was likely just a bobcat or another yellow Labrador retriever. -- 7-feet long with a round face and pointed ears.

A 7-foot-long bobcat! A round-faced, pointed-ears Labrador?

The reason the officials always snicker at the idea that someone might have seen a mountain lion is because "nobody has seen a mountain lion" -- at least that can be proven -- in so long most people in New England don't remember what they look like.

There has also not been any proof -- scat, hair, tracks, etc. -- found.

But there have been many mountain lions that have been seen, and evidence has been collected showing that the big cats are on the doorstep.

There weren't any wolves in Massachusetts either, until one was shot and killed by a rancher in March of 2008.

Eventually, someone will see a mountain lion, proof will be obtained, and state officials will believe them.

Or not.