Footage shows a rare Siberian tiger casually strolling along a road in front of a driver in a mining area in China.
The tiger, suspected of killing a critically endangered Amur leopard in the area just days before, was seen wandering at the entrance of a gold and copper mine near the city of Hunchun in Jilin province, China, early on January 4.
Locals claimed that the animal had appeared near the mining area several times during the winter.
It reportedly killed a dog the same morning it was spotted in the mining area.
In a separate incident in December, a wild Siberian tiger attacked and killed a leopard in the area's national park. Siberian tigers and leopards are protected wild animals due to their extremely low populations.
A former worker at the mine, identified only as Mr Hu, told the AP news agency: “I sent these surveillance videos to a friend who works in animal protection.
“She believed that the tiger that appeared late at night on November 6, and in the early morning of January 4 was probably the same one.'
Mr Hu added that many residents and even some of his ex-colleagues have spotted Siberian tigers around the mine.
One of them, reportedly a restaurant owner, said: “It happened in October and November last year, and it happened again this time.'
She added: “Our area is a protected area, and we can often see Siberian tigers.'
“Everyone drives or rides a motorcycle from their living area to the mine during the day, which is fine, and there are also many customers coming to the store to buy things.
“But at night, no one dares to move around much.'
Officials from China's Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park said they could not confirm whether it was the same animal.
