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Not real fur: Armed police swoop down in the quiet town of Kent after a ‘tiger’ is seen on the loose … but it turns out to be a 20-year-old sculpture by a local grandmother
- Sculpture mistaken for a tiger in a forest at Ightham, near Sevenoaks, Kent
- Kent Police dispatched ten armed officers to deal with the perceived threat.
- The sculpture was made by local sculptor and grandmother Juliet Simpson, 85
Armed police and a helicopter were called when shocked residents saw a ‘tiger’ prowling the countryside, but it turned out to be a 20-year-old sculpture made of chicken wire by a local grandmother.
Kent police dispatched an armed response unit to reports of the big cat prowling around the village of Ightham, near Sevenoaks in Kent.
But they were embarrassed when the dangerous beast turned out to be simply a large model made of resin by local sculptor Juliet Simpson, 85.
The grandmother laughed at the siege on Saturday, saying that her son Duncan had alerted her.
Armed police and a helicopter were called when shocked residents saw a ‘tiger’ prowling the countryside, but it turned out to be a 20-year-old sculpture made of chicken wire by a local grandmother.
She said to the Guardian, ‘My son Duncan called and said there were armed police officers on the hill leading to my home. Ten of them!
‘By then I was able to see the helicopter upstairs, and I thought’ OMG ‘.
‘Then I walked down the road and saw the Land Rover police. I went up and said, “Do you want to be introduced to this tiger?”
The sculpture stands alongside a public footpath about 30 meters from Mrs. Simpson’s house.
The nearby path leads to Ightham Mote, a medieval stately home of the National Trust.
Bicyclists who encountered police at the scene say they were told to move quickly, in case of danger.
Ms. Simpson added that the dogs have previously been ‘alarmed’ by the sculpture.
Kent police dispatched an armed response unit to reports of the big cat prowling around the village of Ightham, near Sevenoaks in Kent. But they were embarrassed when the dangerous beast turned out to be simply a large model made of resin by local sculptor Juliet Simpson, 85
Police were introduced to the ‘tiger’ and they stayed to chat for about 20 minutes, Ms. Simpson said.
Officers liked the model and thought it was very realistic, he added.
Her granddaughter Martha Simpson joked about the tiger on Twitter and said: ‘My grandmother is a sculptor.
“Today 10 armed police officers and a helicopter were called to their home after the walkers reported a tiger in the forest.”
The sculpture stands alongside a public footpath about 30 meters from Mrs. Simpson’s house. In the picture: the grandmother sits next to her sculpture
On an image of the sculpture, she wrote: ‘This is the tiger.’
Those who saw the tweets joked about them, and one person wrote, “I should have gone to Specsavers!”
Another said, “Maybe the police misheard Tiger Woods.”
A third added: “I guess they didn’t try to get close enough to confirm that it wasn’t real.”
She said: ‘My son Duncan called and said that there were armed police officers on the hill leading to my home. Ten of them!
Kent police confirmed that they were called to Mote Road in Ightham at 10:23 a.m. on Saturday after a report from a member of the public who had seen a large wild cat. ”
A spokeswoman said: ‘Officers, including armed officers, attended as a precaution and, after a search in the area, have established that there were no animals or risks to the public.
“The national police air service briefly attended the scene.”
Her granddaughter Martha Simpson joked about the tiger on Twitter, saying, ‘My grandmother is a sculptor.
One person responded to his tweet to say that the tiger himself had “scared the hell out of them.”
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