Police and fire officials are searching for a tiger on the loose in a town outside Paris, local authorities say.
A woman alerted officials after spotting the big cat in a supermarket car park in Montevrain, east of the French capital, local media reported.
The Montevrain council said on its Facebook page that an area of woodland had been roped off.
Residents have been advised to stay indoors, and children are being kept in schools.
It was unclear where the animal came from, though there is a big cat park near Montevrain.
Le Parisien newspaper said several local residents had sighted the animal.
Specialists said the animal’s track’s were those of a young tiger. An official from the mayor’s office said they had been able to trace the animal to the woodland by following its prints, and that a helicopter was assisting police and fire officials in the search.
The Montevrain mayor’s office dismissed the idea that the tiger could have escaped from a circus that was in the town until Saturday, Le Parisien reported.
EuroDisney, which operates nearby Disneyland Paris, said it kept no tigers.
