black panther caught prowling french rooftops

The padlocks securing the animal’s cage had been severed with bolt cutters while no break in was detected at the zoo’s entrances and exits.Īuthorities have said the panther may have been taken back by the exotic animal’s original owner.

Police in Maubeuge have said they believe the black cat was specifically targeted by thieves. The state of the pen the panther had been held in, which was not guarded at night, indicated the animal had been stolen. La Voix du Nord reported that the animal, which had been held for a week at nearby Maubeuge Zoo for its own safety, was discovered missing during a morning inspection. In a surprising twist to the tale, which seemed to have ended after the big cat was captured in a daring rooftop rescue in Armentieres on September 18, police and administrators have now said the panther has been stolen. Decagny said that, if caught, they could face charges of endangering the public, punishable with up to a year in prison and fines up to €15,000 euros ($16,500).A black panther, which caused chaos in a northern French town after it was spotted prowling on the roof of an apartment building, has been stolen from the zoo where it was being kept. Read more: The don'ts and don'ts of keeping exotic petsĪuthorities believe the cat's owner, who is wanted by the police and has not returned to the apartment since the animal's capture, escaped through the same window to avoid being charged with illegally harboring a wild animal.

The panther was being kept illegally as a pet. It had escaped through an open window of a private apartment that is presumed to be its home. The cat is only a few months old.įirefighters rescued the cat last Wednesday after it was spotted prowling rooftops in the town of Armentieres. Zoo employees are concerned for the young panther's health, 'which is rather delicate because it lacks strength,' said the mayor. 'It was in health and administrative quarantine, so no visitor could have seen it.' 'You would have had to know that it was located in that particular enclosure,' he said. Maubeuge Mayor Arnaud Decagy said the panther was a target of thieves. The panther was to be moved to a center for rehabilitating wild animals in the coming days. The authorities said they were reviewing video security footage for clues. Staff noted that the security door of the enclosure had been opened with force. The animal was brought to the zoo following its rescue last week. Police and zoo employees in the French town of Maubeuge, near the Belgian border, say the animal's pen had signs of a break-in on Tuesday morning and that the panther was gone.

Black panther caught prowling french rooftops