About a dozen French soldiers are now assisting police officers hunting for an unidentified big cat on the loose in the village of Montevrain.
The first reports on the cat claimed it was a tiger, but French authorities have since said that it’s most likely a less harmful exotic cat, also probably of a young age.
Montevrain Director of Public Safety Chantal Baccanini said on Friday that the animal poses “no danger for the general population,” according to the Guardian.
One woman who photographed the cat initially thought it was a lynx.
But local officials are still urging residents to avoid walking outside and to drive their children to and from schools, which are being guarded by police.
The 200 or so officers, armed with guns and tranquilizers, are hoping not to have to use lethal force.
A helicopter with heat-seeking capabilities is combing the area as well.
Where the animal came from has yet to be confirmed, the BBC reports, but it is presumed to have escaped from a big cat zoo in Montevrain, a quiet town about 23 miles east of Paris, or possibly be someone’s exotic pet.
The cat, said to weigh over 150 pounds, was first spotted in a supermarket parking lot Thursday afternoon and was then seen walking across a highway several miles away later that day, the Guardian reports.
Its trail has been traced to the village’s woods and more recent paw prints suggest the animal has moved closer to Paris.
Among the search team is a huntsman who has a dog trained to track large animals.
Read more: http://elitedaily.com/news/world/soldiers-hunting-big-cat-loose-paris/849737/
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