Tiger on the loose in near Disneyland Paris, residents urged to stay indoors

French authorities say a young tiger is on the loose near Disneyland Paris, one of Europe's top tourist destinations, and have urged residents in three towns to stay indoors.

The town of Montevrain sent a news alert on its Facebook page Thursday saying a young tiger was spotted in the brush behind some tennis courts and a soccer field. The field is about 9 kilometers (5 1/2 miles) from Disneyland Paris.

Police were using a helicopter to help search for the animal, and a wolf-catcher was drafted in to aid in the search, Seine-et-Marne authorities said.

Police and rescue squads at the scene have roped off a security perimeter, authorities added and urged people living in Montevrain, Chessy and Chalifert to remain indoors. If they had to travel, police advised them to stay in their cars.

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.

Disneyland Paris calls itself Europe's No. 1 tourist destination with 14.9 million visits in 2013.