Alarmed police rushed to a park after reports of a panther on the prowl - but were relieved when they stumbled across the "apex predator".
An anxious member of the public called police after spotting the beast, unaware it was a soft toy perched against a bench.
It happened in Steyning, Horsham, West Sussex.
They raced to the park and saw what appeared to be a creature the size of a panther.
But it turned out to be a stuffed toy that was left on a park bench.
Sussex Police said: "Reports of a large apex predator in the Steyning area turned out to be true.
"It may be a stuffed toy, but the attending officers didn't necessarily know that at first."
One person responded on Twitter : "Omg.
"Especially at night when things don't look how they're supposed to. Glad it was only a stuffed toy."
Another replied: "Love it. Bet that caused some alarm."
It is not known who left the stuffed animal in such a public place.
An "apex predator" is an animal considered to be at the top of a food chain - such as a tiger, lion, leopard shark or crocodile.
Reported "sightings" of big cats in Britain that turn out to be stuffed toys are not uncommon.
Last year the RSPCA were called out to a report of a tiger being kept in a cramped cage in Exeter, Devon, but it too turned out to be a soft toy.
RSPCA inspector Marije Zwager said: "They were persistent this is what they'd seen and I wasn't quite sure what to expect but soon realised that it wasn't a tiger at all, it was just a soft toy.
"He's called Tiddles the Tiger and shares his home with two male neutered rabbits called Horace and Boris, who have a fantastic home filled with all kinds of enrichment and entertainment to keep them happy and healthy."
