World of the Bizarre

Police: 'Apex predator' was actually stuffed toy

By T.K. Randall
July 25, 2020

Image: Black Panther (illustrative)
Credit: Davidvraju / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) While reports of exotic wild animals on the loose in the UK have been around for decades, this most recent sighting - which was described as an "apex predator" - turned out to be anything but.

When officers attended the scene at a park in Steyning, West Sussex, they expected to find a large wild animal that had escaped from a zoo or private collector.

What they found instead was a large stuffed toy gripping the back of a park bench."Reports of a large apex predator in the Steyning area turned out to be true," Horsham Police wrote on Twitter. "It may be a stuffed toy, but the attending officers didn't necessarily know that at first."

The incident echoes a similar scenario that occurred last year when the RSPCA was called out to investigate reports of a tiger being kept in a small cage in Devon.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found that it was nothing but a stuffed toy.

"He's called Tiddles the tiger and shares his home with two male neutered rabbits called Horace and Boris, who have a fantastic home filled with all kinds of enrichment and entertainment to keep them happy and healthy," RSPCA inspector Marije Zwager said at the time.

Reports of a large apex predator in the Steyning area turned out to be true.
It may be a stuffed toy, but the attending officers didn't necessarily know that at first. 😲#cw568 pic.twitter.com/9awKt4kW62

— Horsham Police (@Horsham_police) July 24, 2020

Source: Sky News

Tags: Big Cat