Fur real? Panther spotted casually walking on rooftops of homes in small French town

Residents in a small town in northern France were shocked to find a panther casually strolling on a rooftop in the late-afternoon.

The black cat, roughly the size of a Labrador, was spotted after 6pm on Wednesday in Armentières, which is 10 miles (16km) north-west of Lille.

Police officers and firefighters were called to reports of a dangerous animal, and immediately cordoned off the area.

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Photos were sent to the fire brigade to confirm they were indeed dealing with a black panther.

The National Wildlife Conservation Authority helped the emergency services to capture the panther, which was shot with a tranquiliser dart and taken into care in a cage.

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The Police Nationale 59, which described the incident as an "unusual intervention", confirmed they are investigating to get to the bottom of where the panther came from and how it managed to take a rooftop stroll.