A tiger was spotted in West Belfast!

Drivers in West Belfast were more than taken aback when they spotted what appeared to be a tiger lying up on a sidewalk, taking a rest from a stroll around the Northern Irish city.

Lying up beside a garden fence at the front of a house in Anderson, the gigantic beast looked completely out for the count as some brave motorists emerged from their vehicles to grab a closer look at the large cat.

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Just another day in Belfast... https://t.co/DOyOr9On3X

— Sheena McStravick (@Sheena_McS) February 13, 2018

Once they journeyed closer for a more in-depth inspection, however, it emerged that they’d all fallen foul of a clever prank, as the tiger was in fact just a very large and realistic stuffed animal toy.

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Tiger found on the streets of West Belfast not far from the Gym 🤭 pic.twitter.com/M5VSqUbdaA

— Holy Trinity ABC (@HTBC_Belfast) February 13, 2018

A photo was taken by locals at the Holy Trinity Boxing Club and when posted online it continued to cause a bit of a stir from those who couldn’t make out the stuffing emerging from the tiger’s seams.

"I spotted it in Andersonstown this morning, I thought it was real until I got close and realized it was a big teddy bear, then I just posted the picture for a bit of craic," a motorist told Belfast Live.

Of course, there were Celtic Tiger jokes aplenty. 

Were you caught out by the prank? What’s the best prank you ever saw?