(RNN) – Police in northeast Scotland thought they had a real tiger by the tail this month.
A farmer near Peterhead, about 160 miles north of Edinburgh, reported seeing a striped beast in his barn where his 200 cows were.
Bruce Grubb immediately called police, The Scottish Sun reported.
“I got the fright of my life,” he said.
A tense nearly hour-long standoff ensued. Police stayed safely inside their vehicles with their eyes glued on the barn. They weren’t sure how to approach their feline foe.
But the big cat wasn’t moving and Grubb became suspicious.
He gingerly approached the barn again, this time in his truck, and discovered the tiger really wasn’t a tiger at all. It was a big plush toy.
“I had absolutely no doubt it was real — I got a hell of a scare,” Grubb said. “I was worried it was going to eat all my cows before police managed to shoot it.”
The incident has prompted plenty of chuckles, even from the police involved.
“It's true - our officers had a roaring shift on Saturday night (Feb. 3),” the North East Police Division said on Facebook.
"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,” Peterhead Inspector George Cordiner said.
"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.”
Yes, even if it’s stuffed.
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