Ah, Detroit -- you never disappoint, even in mid-August.

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This picture, posted Monday afternoon on Facebook by Detroit Bus Compa

This picture, posted Monday afternoon on Facebook by Detroit Bus Company president Andy Didorosi, is real.

This startling picture, posted Monday afternoon on Facebook by Detroit Bus Company founder Andy Didorosi isn't Photoshopped. Neither are crisper ones on Instagram of the same visitor (the one on the left) outside the Packard Plant today.

It's a real tiger, but -- spoiler alert -- it wasn't at large and no one actually protected himself with a weed trimmer.

The Free Press' social media team pounced on the tale with the speed of uncaged animals:

British photographer David Yarrow booked a two-day photo shoot at Detroit's Packard Plant. Only problem was, he apparently didn't tell anyone that he was bringing a tiger, a wolf and a bobcat with him. . . .

Kari Smith, project manager for the Packard Plant Project, said: "We arranged for a photography group of humans to be on site for two days. We never approved any animals being on the site, and we had the matter taken care of in the first hour. We do not condone animals being on the site here, and the shoot was canceled. This is nothing we signed on for."

She added that the animals were not harmed and trainers were on site to handle the critters. . . .

Didorosi said that the local crew helping with the shoot was told only that "models" were being used, not wild animals, and then "this big 'Jurassic Park'-like trailer shows up with all these wild animals."

Didorosi posts that he was "called by someone hired by the crew to help get him back to his crate," and adds: "I don't support loose crazy animals in our city." 

The bus company president later posted on Facebook: "No matter what I do for the rest of the year, it'll always be the second dumbest thing I did in 2015." 

As fortune has it, images of the striped beast made a leap onto social media and unleashed free-range humor, as well as the cute media alert at right:

► "The real question is: Can it pitch out of the bullpen?" -- Jimmy Geagan, Detroit

► "Gallery 555 will be taking the Packard Plant tiger and selling him at auction." -- Mark Maynard, Ypsilanti

► "First time a Tiger has made the headlines in Detroit this year?!" -- Jason Clarke, Troy

► "The guy trying to scare a runaway tiger with a weedwacker in the Packard Plant is my new moment of zen." -- Erin Marquis, Detroit

► "I bet I can guess what's the mystery meat at Green Dot next week." -- Aaron K. Foley, Detroit

► "I know nature has taken back parts of Detroit, but that's fucking crazy!" -- Adam Flaster, Plymouth

►"Detroit was already weird enough. Now I've seen everything." -- Michael Jackman, Metro Times managing editor

► "Grrrreat." -- George Moore, Milford

► "‪#‎averagedayinmichigan‬" -- Omari Gardner, Sterling Heights