French big cat on the loose not a tiger, officials
The mysterious animal on the loose near Paris is probably not a tiger, French officials announced on Friday. Police and soldiers armed with tranquiliser guns continued the search for the beast and police guarded the entrances of schools while many residents of the town of Montévrain stayed home.
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French authorities on Friday said the beast that has attracted worldwide attention since it was spotted on a supermarket carpark on Thursday is not a tiger.
They do, however, believe it is a big cat.
"After an investigation carried out by the National Hunting and Wildlife Office in conjunction with the Parc des Félins [a nearby wildlife park], we can exclude the presence of an animal from the tiger species. The feline... is still being hunted," officials said.
About a dozen soldiers from a nearby army base joined the hunt for the animal, which has eluded attempts to capture it but has been spotted a second time.
A dog trained to track bears and large game animals was also brought in to help.
They will try to anaesthetise it if possible but “if it becomes dangerous or aggressive, the order will be given to kill it”, police said.
A footprint that appeared to be that of a large beast was reported at a service station on the A4 motorway and experts were checking it, although the animal would have had to cross the motorway to get to the site.
It is still not known where the animal has come from.
Montévrain is near Disneyland Paris but the amusement park says that tigers are not among its attractions, as did a circus that stopped at the town a few days ago.
The Parc des Félins also said that none of its big cats is missing.
French authorities on Friday said the beast that has attracted worldwide attention since it was spotted on a supermarket carpark on Thursday is not a tiger.
They do, however, believe it is a big cat.
"After an investigation carried out by the National Hunting and Wildlife Office in conjunction with the Parc des Félins [a nearby wildlife park], we can exclude the presence of an animal from the tiger species. The feline... is still being hunted," officials said.
About a dozen soldiers from a nearby army base joined the hunt for the animal, which has eluded attempts to capture it but has been spotted a second time.
A dog trained to track bears and large game animals was also brought in to help.
They will try to anaesthetise it if possible but “if it becomes dangerous or aggressive, the order will be given to kill it”, police said.
A footprint that appeared to be that of a large beast was reported at a service station on the A4 motorway and experts were checking it, although the animal would have had to cross the motorway to get to the site.
It is still not known where the animal has come from.
Montévrain is near Disneyland Paris but the amusement park says that tigers are not among its attractions, as did a circus that stopped at the town a few days ago.
The Parc des Félins also said that none of its big cats is missing.
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