Panther on the roof!
Neighbours terrified as big cat prowls past their windows
It looked like she was coming home after a night on the tiles – or maybe she was a cat burglar?
This black panther caused a stir in an historic town in france when she prowled around the rooftops of homes.
residents were terrified by the unexpected daytime visitor sampling the high life in Armentieres.
it is understood she had been kept illegally in a flat but escaped through a window accidentally left open when the owner went on holiday.
‘ imagine relaxing at home in Armentieres and a black panther passes in front of the window,’ said Victor lefranc who posted a video online of the big cat.
The panther – normally found in Asia or Africa – is believed to have been kept as a pet after being smuggled into france by crooks.
Stunned residents in the town near the Belgian border alerted police and the panther was shot with a tranquiliser dart and captured.
A source involved in the operation said: ‘The panther was calm and clearly well-domesticated – but still considered a danger.
‘it took two hours to get her in a position where she could be trapped. Then a vet used a gun to fire a hypodermic tranquiliser at the animal as it tried to climb into a window.
‘She was taken to an animal refuge and is in good shape.’ Witnesses said the panther wandered around roofs for about an hour. every now and then, she would go into her owner’s flat through the open window before coming back outside.
The source said: ‘ her owner is known to police.’ he added that the panther is thought to be ‘ a black market animal trafficked into france illegally’. Police found a huge dog basket and food in the flat left out for the animal.
She was captured on Wednesday and spent the night in a blackedout cage aimed at reducing stress in the shelter at nearby lille.
A shelter spokesman said: ‘ She’s quite young – she’s like labrador [in temperament].’ he added there were signs the animal’s claws had been cut to avoid her hurting anyone.
Black panthers are a type of leopard whose darkness is caused by skin pigmentation.
They are the fifth largest big cat, can leap up to 20ft and are excellent swimmers.
The global population is around 250,000, with most living up to 12 years in the wild or 20 years in captivity.
Famous black panthers include Bagheera, protector of Mowgli in The Jungle Book.