Police and fire officials are searching for a tiger on the loose in a town outside Paris, local authorities say, reports BBC News.
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.
The owner of the lntermarche supermarket in Montevrain said his wife had spotted the animal at about 8.30 a.m. (07:30 GMT).
"She didn't get out of the car and called me to say 'I think I saw a lynx'," he was quoted as saying. The woman took a photograph that appears to show a large cat.
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.