French authorities have resumed search for a tiger on the loose near Paris.

The big cat appears to have moved closer to Paris after fresh paw prints were found.

A huntsman confirmed animal prints at the Ferrieres-en-Brie service station 16 miles east of Paris at 06:45 AM, Le Parisien daily reports.

The young tiger was first spotted at Montevrain, 24 miles east of Paris, on Thursday morning.

To reach the service station, it apparently crossed the A4 motorway.

A reporter from Parisian radio station France Bleu 107.1 photographed the new prints.

Following their discovery, the Total service station at Ferrieres-en-Brie, on the A4, was shut down.

“It seems the beast crossed the A4,” Seine-et-Marne council leader Vincent Eble told France Bleu 107.1.

Following initial doubts about the nature of the stray beast, French officials and experts are categorical about it being an actual tiger, France’s AFP news agency reports.

A resident raised the alert after spotting the animal at the service station on the side of the motorway leading away from Paris, Le Parisiene reports.

Police, fire officials and a specially trained hunting dog have been combing countryside outside Montevrain, helped by a helicopter.

Residents of Montevrain and two other towns have been told to stay indoors.

Children were kept in schools on November 13 and collected by their parents by car.

It was unclear where the animal came from, though there is a big cat park near Montevrain.

The helicopter was equipped with a thermal detector to try to spot the animal in the undergrowth.

A huntsman, officially designated as a “wolf catcher”, with a specially trained dog was also part of the search team, authorities in Montevrain and Seine-et-Marne said.

Specialists said the animal’s tracks were those of a young tiger. An official from the mayor’s office said they had been able to trace the animal to the woodland by following its prints.

The Montevrain mayor’s office dismissed the idea that the tiger could have escaped from a circus that was in the town until Saturday, Le Parisien reported.

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French police and firefighters are searching for a tiger on the loose in a town outside Paris, local authorities say.

A woman alerted officials after spotting “a big cat” in a supermarket car park in Montevrain, east of Paris, local media reported.

The Montevrain council said on its Facebook page that an area of woodland had been roped off.

Residents have been advised to stay indoors, and children are being kept in schools.

It was unclear where the animal came from, though there is a big cat park near Montevrain.

The owner of the Intermarche supermarket in Montevrain said his wife had spotted the animal at about 08:30 AM local time.

Police and firefighters are desperately hunting for a tiger on the loose near Paris

The woman took a photograph that appears to show a large cat.

Le Parisien newspaper said several local residents had sighted the animal.

Specialists said the animal’s tracks were those of a young tiger. An official from the mayor’s office said they had been able to trace the animal to the woodland by following its prints, and that a helicopter was assisting police and fire officials in the search.

The Montevrain mayor’s office dismissed the idea that the tiger could have escaped from a circus that was in the town until November 8, Le Parisien reported.

EuroDisney, which operates nearby Disneyland Paris, said it kept no tigers.