When an alligator was reported loose on the streets of Bristol, police and the RSPCA snapped into action.
Roads were sealed off as they staked out the creature, which appeared to be lying in garden bushes with the remains of a bird in its jaws.
After a tense 30-minute stand-off, emergency workers used a camera to zoom in on the reptile – and discovered that it was a stuffed toy.
Richard Masling, an RSPCA inspector, said after Friday’s incident: “As animal rescues go, this one was child’s play.”
RSPCA chief inspector Richard Masling said: "We thought it would be a captive caiman which had escaped or been abandoned, then killed and eaten a wild bird and was laying on the grass digesting it.
"Caiman are part of the alligator family and have very sharp teeth, so it was very important that the police and RSPCA took all the necessary safety precautions to protect ourselves and the public.
"But in the end, as animal rescues go - this one really was child's play."
It is unclear if the emergency was a prank but the toy had fluff in its mouth to appear like feathers and an elastic band made to look like a muzzle was wrapped around its jaws.
Chief Insp Masling added: "Although this turned out to be a funny call, the number of unwanted and abandoned exotic animals which the Society deals with is no laughing matter. That includes, on occasions, the odd caiman."
Caiman alligators are native to freshwaters in the United States but can be kept as pets.
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