Tiger on the loose near Disneyland Paris

PARIS, France -- Police and fire officials are searching on the ground and in the air for a young tiger that's on the loose near Disneyland Paris.

A woman alerted officials after spotting the big cat in a supermarket car park in Montevrain, the BBC reports. The town of Montevrain then sent a news alert on its Facebook page saying the tiger had been spotted in the brush behind some tennis courts and a soccer field.

Residents are now being told to stay indoors, and children are being kept in schools.

Town authorities said in a statement that police and rescue squads are on the scene and had roped off a security perimeter. They are using a helicopter to search for the tiger.

A French journalist for Le Parisien tweeted a photo she claims are the paw prints from the tiger. The media outlet estimates the tiger weighs about 210 pounds.

The Mirror reports there is concern the animal could attack if it were to get hungry. France's Pinder Circus warns people not to run away from the animal if they come in contact with the tiger.

"In this case, its instinct would be to chase after its prey," Frederic Edelstein told the Mirror. "If you see it coming towards you, make as much noise as you can in order to frighten it. If this doesn't work, you should start waving your arms, but without moving away, or it will only move closer."

EuroDisney, the operator of Disneyland Paris, said it has no tigers in the theme park, so the errant cat could not have come from them. It wasn't immediately clear if any extra precautions had been taken inside the park.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.