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When animal welfare officers received a report of an unusual animal lurking in a tree in the Polish city of Krakow, they were not sure what to expect.

"People aren't opening their windows because they're afraid it will go into their house," the woman reportedly said.

But a visit to the area showed the creature in question was not a bird, or even a reptile - but a croissant.

The Krakow Animal Welfare Society said the incident was genuine.

Writing on Facebook, the organisation said its officers had asked the desperate caller whether the unidentified animal, which had been in the tree for two days, could be a bird of prey.

The woman responded that it looked more like a "lagun" - similar to "laguna", Polish for lagoon - before remembering the correct word "legwan", or iguana.

Although the inspectors knew that it was unlikely that a reptile would survive the cool spring temperatures in the southern Polish city, they wondered if the animal could have been an unwanted pet abandoned by its owners.

Arriving on the scene, however, the inspectors found the headless and limbless object in a lilac tree - a pastry, probably thrown out of a window to feed birds.

The organisation remained light-hearted about the encounter and said the public should continue to err on the side of caution and report any concerns about animal welfare.