A black panther escaped from a home and was spotted prowling on the rooftops near Lille in northern France. According to the firefighters, they received a call around 6 pm local time regarding a large feline roaming on the rooftop of a residential building in Armentières. After it entered a dwelling in the town close of French border with Belgium, the firefighters captured it in a cage. Later, a veterinarian gave the panther an anaesthetic shot to make it sleep. 

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Transported to local animal protection league

When the police threw a security cordon around the building, the panther slipped into the building. The prefecture of Northern France told a news agency that the animal had been kept illegally by an individual at his home. The feline is believed to be five to six months old and the owner supposedly escaped fearing charges of illegal ownership. The panther has been transported to a local animal protection league.

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Illegally trafficked to France

A local newspaper reported that the panther also encountered a 15-year-old girl but the girl managed to escape. "In twenty years of working, I have never seen anything like it. A snake, yes. But not a big cat like that," a policeman told the newspaper. "Imagine relaxing at home in Armentieres and a black panther passes in front of the window." tweeted Victor Lefranc, a witness to the incident. According to media sources, it might have been trafficked illegally into France as there was no chip on the panther or any registration documents associated.

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“Driving through rural France last night, first saw a wild boar, and then a HUGE ANIMAL ran across the road and up a slope. I was arguing that it was an albino black panther. My companions disputed this. And then we discovered a news story of a sighting from only 11 hours earlier!” tweeted a user about the incident. The spokesperson of the protection league claimed that there were signs of claws illegally cut down.

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