The Beast of Barnet may finally have been felled in Childs Hill by a vet who subdued an escaped lynx with a tranquilliser gun.

Armed police officers, London Zoo officials, a vet and an RSPCA team rushed to Hocroft Avenue where a young female lynx was discovered limping in a garden at around 11am on Friday last week.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it," said Carole Montague, of Hocroft Avenue, who found the lynx in the garden of her employer.

"I knew straightaway this wasn't a domestic cat as it was huge with paws bigger than my fists and tufted ears."

Four hours later zoo officials tried to capture the lynx but it jumped over the garden fence with the police in hot pursuit. The beast was cornered again under a stairway leading to Avenue Court flats in neighbouring Farm Road.

Times Group readers may recall how Potters Bar and South Mimms residents were forced to lock themselves in their own homes in September 1998 as police combed the area looking for a large beast which had been sighted roaming the streets.

There were also earlier sightings of a Beast of Barnet in the Brookmans Park area.

"There probably isn't any connection as the last sighting was so long ago," said Tony Sainsbury, the zoological society of London's senior veterinary officer.

"This animal is a bit thin and one of her hind legs seems to be lame but we need to carry out a full veterinary examination first."

Barnet Police inspector Jayanti Gohil said: "I have never been involved with the capture of a wild animal in the borough before. When the lynx made a dash for it we used tactical deployment and two of our officers PCs Leech and Green followed it where it was then cornered and caught."

RSPCA animal collection officer Philip Heyes said afterwards: "The animal looked quite thin and unsteady on its feet. We want to know whether anyone was keeping this animal as it is an offence if you don't have a licence."

Anyone with information on the owner of this animal is asked to contact the RSPCA on 08705 555 999.