Tiger spotted in NYC turns out to be a large raccoon
There's not much wildlife in New York City — pigeons, subway rats, Williamsburg hipsters.
So when a push notification from the Citizen App informed New Yorkers that a tiger was roaming the street, people were naturally startled and confused.
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According to NBC New York, the NYPD received a call Thursday morning about a tiger that was supposedly spotted on the streets of Harlem.
Tiger in the street!? Unconfirmed report near 160s and St Nicholas in Manhattan. Do you see it, are you safe? Tweet us pix @PIX11News
— Anthony DiLorenzo (@ADiLorenzoTV) April 12, 2018
After a short investigation, it turned out that the animal roaming the streets was, in fact, just a very large raccoon. This proved for a very amusing series of notifications.
Update on tiger reported loose in NYC... pic.twitter.com/LHFrHxUoyJ
— Andrew M. Seaman (@andrewmseaman) April 12, 2018
Some theorized that this mix-up was due to New Yorkers not being familiar with animals.
LOL - New Yorkers see something bigger than a cat and think it's a tiger #NYC https://t.co/3ymXWvsCXY
— Tamer Hadi 🇺🇸🇪🇬 (@tamer_hadi) April 12, 2018
Who out here is confusing a raccoon for a damn tiger?!
— Chris Breezyy (@missbreezyy) April 12, 2018
Others were just annoyed.
You're gonna tell me my roommates and I (in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) were all rudely awakened bY a helicopter overhead because some idiot in Washington Heights (Manhattan)
MISTOOK A RACOON FOR A MF TIGER?!?!— Shwax (@Shwax) April 12, 2018
Apparently, confusing particularly large woodland mammals with wild cats is not a new phenomenon. One user shared this delightful headline from 1928.
With that "tiger" that turned out to be a raccoon, I feel like this 1926 story should gain more relevance. https://t.co/ydCMhCWKGD pic.twitter.com/47wYXbXR5t
— M. Ryan Murphy (@nytryan) April 12, 2018
Emergency services were able to capture the raccoon and take it to a nearby shelter.
Animal Care Centers of New York told ABC NY that the raccoon was euthanized, as required by law for any species that could transmit rabies.
Rest in peace, large raccoon. You lived with the glory of a tiger, if just for one brief Thursday morning.