PARIS – French police are using a helicopter to search for a young tiger which was said to be on the loose near Disneyland Paris.
The town of Montevrain sent a news alert on its Facebook page Thursday saying a young tiger was spotted in the brush behind some tennis courts and a soccer field. The field is about 9 kilometres (5 1/2 miles) from the popular tourist theme park.
Town authorities said in a statement that police and rescue squads are on the scene and had roped off a security perimeter.
Authorities also urged residents of three towns – Montevrain, Chessy and Chalifert – to remain indoors, according to a statement from the Seine-et-Marne department.
In addition to the helicopter, police have drafted in a wolf-catcher to aid in the search, Seine-et-Marne authorities said.
EuroDisney, the operator of Disneyland Paris, said it has no tigers in the theme park, so the errant cat could not have come from them. It wasn’t immediately clear if any extra precautions had been taken inside the park.
Disneyland Paris calls itself Europe’s No. 1 tourist destination with 14.9 million visits in 2013.
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