New Yorkers were shocked by a report on a mobile news app which alerted of a loose tiger in upper Manhattan on Thursday morning. While someone might have panicked, it turned out to be just a racoon. The Citizen app gave an alert at 8.29 am with reports of a tiger sighting in the area of W. 162nd St and St. Nicholas Ave. They later even said they are confirming the report, but it turned to be just a racoon. Now New York’s Animal Care Centers have taken custody of the racoon and it is reportedly even killed because of a risk of disease.

When the mobile app Citizen gave that alert, Police reportedly received two separate 911 calls about a tiger roaming the streets of Manhattan early in the morning. When the cops reached the spot they found only a racoon. The news later turned out to be a joke among the residents, but the pest considered racoon has met an unfortunate ending. The Animal Care Center gave a statement, “The racoon was brought into our facility and was euthanized as required by law for all vector species animals brought into the shelter." “Technically, any mammal can do so, but racoons are a higher risk. Thus, the animal is subject to certain laws by state,” the statement said.

Check out the news alert report given by the Citizen App:

The app gave more updates on the same:

What started from panic, had a phase of turning into a joke and then the sad end for the racoon. But the question remains is it really that difficult to spot the difference between a small racoon and a large wild tiger? Is it really that difficult for New Yorkers to spot the difference between a racoon and a tiger?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2018 10:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).