By Hajer M'tiri
PARIS
French police Thursday suspended the search for a tiger that residents saw on the loose in the town of Montevrain near Paris.
The tiger was spotted last near Disneyland Paris.
The search for the wild cat will resume Friday morning, the Seine-et-Marne police spokeswoman said.
It remains unclear from where the tiger originated from.
"We are still trying to figure out from where it came," the spokeswoman added.
She also denied media reports that assumed the big cat came from a traveling circus show which visited the town last Saturday.
EuroDisney, the operator of Disneyland Paris, also denied reports the animal belonged to them. The operator said it had no tigers in its theme park.
Residents of the Parisian suburb spotted the tiger roaming in a car park of a local supermarket.
They sent a news alert on the town's Facebook page. Since then, a crew of 60 firefighters, police officers, and helicopters were deployed in the search. A dog trained to specially track wild animals was also used.
Police said they wanted to capture the tiger alive.
"We're going to try and sedate it," the spokeswoman said. "But if it becomes dangerous or aggressive, we will give the order to kill it," she added.
Authorities have recommended people in the towns of Montevrain, Chessy and Chalifert to remain indoors until the tiger is taken care of.
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