Armed police were sent to a farm after receiving a distressed call from a terrified local who reported a tiger on the loose – only to discover it was a large cuddly toy.
The nervous farmer dialled 999 after spotting what he thought was a huge wild animal lying down in his cowshed on Saturday evening.
Police sent an armed response team and several vehicles to the farm in Hatton, near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.
But they quickly found the creature was not real and the farmer, who is said to be ‘very embarrassed’ after the confusion and officers later confirmed it was a ‘false call made with genuine good intent’.
Police officers rushed to the farm in Hatton, Aberdeenshire, and later discovered the tiger was just a cuddly toy
Officers also contacted a local wildlife park to make sure a tiger had not escaped before realising it was just a stuffed animal.
Peterhead Inspector George Cordiner said: ‘We received a call from an extremely concerned member of the public late on Saturday evening with regards to a wild animal being loose in the grounds of a farm in the Hatton area.
‘Unusual as the call may have seemed, any call reporting a potential danger to the public has to be taken seriously and efforts were made to verify the sighting as soon as possible, including starting to make contact with the nearest wildlife park to make sure they did not have an escapee.
‘As is standard practice when we are made aware of a potential threat to the public the use of firearms officers was considered as a contingency.
The panicked farmer, who has not been named, dialled 999 after spotting what he thought was a wild tiger on the loose
‘In this case, they attended the area in support of the local community officers but they were not deployed nor required.
‘Our ultimate aim is to protect the public and keep our officers safe when faced with uncertain situations. Until you know exactly what you are dealing with, every option has to be considered.
‘The incident was stood down within 45 minutes once officers attended and established there was no threat to the public.
‘We appreciate that it was a false call made with genuine good intent.’