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Black panther spotted prowling French rooftops, relaxing in teen’s bedroom

A panther was spotted on the gutter of a building in Armentieres, northern France. Sapeurs-Pompiers du Nord via AP

A black panther was spotted getting up to no good on a rooftop in northern France on Wednesday evening.

Emergency workers saw the big cat prowling around the house’s gutters after responding to a call from residents in a neighbourhood near Lille.

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The local fire brigade captured photos of the panther making itself at home above ground, perching on building ledges and pacing outside a closed window.

Eventually, after firefighters secured a precautionary perimeter, the big cat slipped inside a house.

According to Euronews, a 15-year-old girl entered her bedroom to find the panther relaxing in there. She immediately left the room, and the cat was successfully trapped.

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At this point, it’s uncertain where the cat came from and how, exactly, it got there.

A tweet sent out by the local fire service reads: “Called out … for a dangerous animal, the northern fire service was confronted with a big feline roaming the gutters.”

The animal was tranquilized with a dart by a local veterinarian and put in a cage.

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The black panther weighed about 45 pounds and is about five or six months old, according to Kader Laghouati with the Animal Protection League.

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Speaking to La Voix du Nord newspaper, Laghouati explained the animal had been domesticated by its owner and wasn’t aggressive. Its claws were reportedly clipped.

The BBC reports a police officer told La Voix du Nord that French authorities are currently searching for the owner of the panther since only a zoo would be able to have a permit to keep an animal like this.

meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca

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