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http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/paris-tiger-recap-updates-armed-4626081
Paris tiger: Recap of updates as armed police hunt big cat near Disneyland Paris
Nov 14, 2014 18:02
By Marie Le Conte, Nina Massey
Armed cops scoured the countryside for the animal after it was spotted yesterday
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6:31 am
Hunt for tiger due to resume
Getty
Danger: A photo thought to be of the escaped tiger
A tiger is on the loose near Disneyland Paris.
A search for the escaped big cat was called off last night but is due to resume early this morning.
The feline was seen roaming near Disneyland Paris theme park on Thursday, triggering an urgent police hunt and warnings for people to stay indoors and to fetch children home from school by car.
Local residents spotted the big cat near the town of Montevrain, east of Paris, prompting authorities to dispatch a helicopter and some 60 police and firemen armed with stun guns to set up a security perimeter, the mayor's chief of staff told Reuters.
"We've asked parents to come and fetch their children from school in cars so that no child goes home alone or without supervision," said Cedric Tartaud-Gineste.
A spokesman for the town hall said: "The feline experts who analyzed the paw prints said it was a large feline, probably a tiger, weighing 80 kg" (176.37 pounds).
The animal was most likely kept as a private pet, the spokesman said. A nearby circus did not keep any tigers and a zoo located 30 km (19 miles) away was too far for it not to have been noticed by local people earlier.
The last sighting was reported by a man at 1500 GMT (10 ET) near a public park, prompting police to widen their search area.
6:39 am
Cops posted outside schools to protect kids
Getty Tiger on the loose in Paris
Tiger on the loose in Paris
The extraordinary hunt was launched after a woman reported seeing the beast prowling near a supermarket car park in the town of Montevrain, east of the capital earlier today.
Police and firefighters armed with tranquilliser guns were soon scrambled to the area, and residents were warned to stay indoors.
Officers were posted outside local schools to protect the children inside.
But after nearly 12 hours of hunting, the search was fruitless.
Read on to see a full recap of events from the dramatic search.
6:49 am
Video 'shows tiger on prowl'
This video purports to show the escaped tiger on the prowl.
A huge police hunt for the animal is set to resume this morning.
Residents in the area where the tiger was spotted have been advised to stay indoors.
Video loading
7:40 am
'Tiger may have escaped from a circus'
Town hall official Cedric Tartaud-Gineste said that a security cordon covering an area about the size of four or five football pitches was set up around a wooded area.
Initial reports suggested the the tiger may have escaped from a circus which has performed in the town at the weekend.
These claims were originally denied by the local authority, which said it had checked the circus on Saturday and there was no tiger within the performing group.
Later in the day, they admitted that the circus may have DUMPED the creature as they left town.
Another theory is that it may have been kept illegally as a pet, while others say it could have come from a nearby big cat zoo.
8:08 am
Armed police stand guard
Armed police have been seen patrolling the streets since shortly after a local resident spotted the fearsome animal in a supermarket car park.
Backed up by a helicopter overhead, yesterday firefighters armed with paralysing weapons were mobilised for the search in the Seine-et-Marne district near the French capital.
Throughout the night armed police guarded the area, keeping an eye out for the striped beast.
Getty A policeman stands guard as police and firefighters are hunting for a tiger on the loose in Montevrain, near Paris
A policeman stands guard as police and firefighters are hunting for a tiger on the loose in Montevrain, near Paris
8:42 am
Where did it come from?
It is still not known where the majestic large cat could have come from.
There was initial speculation that it could have escaped from a circus that had recently been in town.
But it is now thought that the animal was most likely kept as a private pet.
The mayor's office has said that authorities will be trying to sedate the animal as it is an endangered species.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/paris-tiger-recap-updates-armed-4626081
![MAIN-Tiger-on-the-loose-in-Paris.jpg](http://i4.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article4626167.ece/alternates/s615/MAIN-Tiger-on-the-loose-in-Paris.jpg)
Paris tiger: Recap of updates as armed police hunt big cat near Disneyland Paris
Nov 14, 2014 18:02
By Marie Le Conte, Nina Massey
Armed cops scoured the countryside for the animal after it was spotted yesterday
Share
Share
Tweet
+1
6:31 am
Hunt for tiger due to resume
Getty
Danger: A photo thought to be of the escaped tiger
A tiger is on the loose near Disneyland Paris.
A search for the escaped big cat was called off last night but is due to resume early this morning.
The feline was seen roaming near Disneyland Paris theme park on Thursday, triggering an urgent police hunt and warnings for people to stay indoors and to fetch children home from school by car.
Local residents spotted the big cat near the town of Montevrain, east of Paris, prompting authorities to dispatch a helicopter and some 60 police and firemen armed with stun guns to set up a security perimeter, the mayor's chief of staff told Reuters.
"We've asked parents to come and fetch their children from school in cars so that no child goes home alone or without supervision," said Cedric Tartaud-Gineste.
A spokesman for the town hall said: "The feline experts who analyzed the paw prints said it was a large feline, probably a tiger, weighing 80 kg" (176.37 pounds).
The animal was most likely kept as a private pet, the spokesman said. A nearby circus did not keep any tigers and a zoo located 30 km (19 miles) away was too far for it not to have been noticed by local people earlier.
The last sighting was reported by a man at 1500 GMT (10 ET) near a public park, prompting police to widen their search area.
6:39 am
Cops posted outside schools to protect kids
Getty Tiger on the loose in Paris
Tiger on the loose in Paris
The extraordinary hunt was launched after a woman reported seeing the beast prowling near a supermarket car park in the town of Montevrain, east of the capital earlier today.
Police and firefighters armed with tranquilliser guns were soon scrambled to the area, and residents were warned to stay indoors.
Officers were posted outside local schools to protect the children inside.
But after nearly 12 hours of hunting, the search was fruitless.
Read on to see a full recap of events from the dramatic search.
6:49 am
Video 'shows tiger on prowl'
This video purports to show the escaped tiger on the prowl.
A huge police hunt for the animal is set to resume this morning.
Residents in the area where the tiger was spotted have been advised to stay indoors.
Video loading
7:40 am
'Tiger may have escaped from a circus'
Town hall official Cedric Tartaud-Gineste said that a security cordon covering an area about the size of four or five football pitches was set up around a wooded area.
Initial reports suggested the the tiger may have escaped from a circus which has performed in the town at the weekend.
These claims were originally denied by the local authority, which said it had checked the circus on Saturday and there was no tiger within the performing group.
Later in the day, they admitted that the circus may have DUMPED the creature as they left town.
Another theory is that it may have been kept illegally as a pet, while others say it could have come from a nearby big cat zoo.
8:08 am
Armed police stand guard
Armed police have been seen patrolling the streets since shortly after a local resident spotted the fearsome animal in a supermarket car park.
Backed up by a helicopter overhead, yesterday firefighters armed with paralysing weapons were mobilised for the search in the Seine-et-Marne district near the French capital.
Throughout the night armed police guarded the area, keeping an eye out for the striped beast.
Getty A policeman stands guard as police and firefighters are hunting for a tiger on the loose in Montevrain, near Paris
A policeman stands guard as police and firefighters are hunting for a tiger on the loose in Montevrain, near Paris
8:42 am
Where did it come from?
It is still not known where the majestic large cat could have come from.
There was initial speculation that it could have escaped from a circus that had recently been in town.
But it is now thought that the animal was most likely kept as a private pet.
The mayor's office has said that authorities will be trying to sedate the animal as it is an endangered species.
![Tiger-on-the-loose-in-Paris.jpg](http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article4622722.ece/alternates/s510b/Tiger-on-the-loose-in-Paris.jpg)
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