Escaped tiger turns out to be cuddly toy

An 'escaped 8ft tiger' spotted on a hotel roof in Houston, Texas, turned out to be huge stuffed toy.

When witnesses called 911 to report the supposed incident, six members of the local fire department visited the scene to safely capture the animal.

They are said to have gently edged toward the tiger only to discover that it was actually a soft toy.

A firefighter threw the teddy down to the ground, where a colleague approached it with caution to double check it wasn't a danger.

Houston Fire Department Captain Ruy Lozano told CultureMap: "We never really cover this part of Houston but received the most calls and attention because of this tiger."

It remains unclear how the stuffed toy ended up on the roof of the abandoned hotel.