Tiger Loose Near Paris - A tiger was spotted in a supermarket car park in Montevrain, east of the French capital today. Now, police and firefighters are hunting frantically for the tiger loose near Paris.
The police have helicopters deployed overhead, while firefighters are armed with paralysing weapons searching for the tiger in the Seine-et-Marne district near the French capital, reports Mirror.
A woman alerted officials after spotting the tiger loose near Paris the Montevrain car park.
On its Facebook page, the Montevrain council stated that an area of woodland had been roped off already as a safety measure.
While authorities are still searching desperately for the tiger loose near Paris, they have advised residents to remain indoors. Children meanwhile, have been kept inside a school in the small town, 25 miles east of the centre of Paris, according to Sky News.
"We are calling on inhabitants to be careful, not to leave their houses and to stay in their vehicles," said town hall official Cedric Tartaud-Gineste. "Anyone who sees the tiger should call the police or the fire service,"
It remains unclear where the tiger loose near Paris have exactly come from. However, a 'big cat park near Montevrain' is the most probable explanation to the tiger loose near Paris.
The woman who saw the tiger while at the supermarket car park took a photo of the alleged tiger, and it appeared to be simply lying on a grassy mound.
Jean-Baptiste Berdeaux, owner and manager of lntermarche supermarket in Montevrain, said his wife spotted the tiger loose near Paris at about 08:30 (07:30 GMT).
"My wife saw it this morning," Berdeaux told the AFP news agency. "She didn't get out of the car and called me to say 'I think I saw a lynx.'"
Berdeaux's wife took a photo appearing to show a large cat lying on a grassy field.
Aside from Montevrain and his wife, the Le Parisien newspaper cited several local residents admitting to seeing the tiger loose near Paris.
"We have been running after it since this morning, police officers are trying to intercept it," according to a police source.
Montevrain is just a few miles away from Disneyland Paris. However, there is no correlation between the theme park and the tiger loose near Paris.
Authorities have also asked the big cat wildlife park 18 miles (30km) away and a circus that recently passed by the town. However, they found no missing tiger has yet been reported.
EuroDisney, which operates nearby Disneyland Paris, said it kept no tiger loose near Paris.
According to specialists, the animal's footprints were those of a young tiger. The tiger loose near Paris is reportedly estimated to weigh around 70kg (154 pounds).
An official from the mayor's office said they were able to trace the animal to the woodland through the prints, reports the BBC.
According to authorities, they hoped to catch the alive the tiger loose near Paris.
"If it's possible, we'll try and put it to sleep. If it becomes dangerous or aggressive, the order will be given to kill it," police said
Meanwhile, animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have urged French authorities to "show restraint" in dealing with the tiger loose near Paris.
"Tigers who are relegated to prison-like cages in zoos and circuses are ticking time bombs," according to a statement.
The tiger loose near Paris should reportedly serve as a "wake-up call" to people about the dangers of keeping animals in captivity.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
