Cat burglar: Black panther caught prowling French rooftops

PARIS – Emergency workers caught an unusual prowler lurking around rooftops in northern France: a black panther.

Firefighters and a veterinarian responded after residents of a neighbourhood near Lille reported that a big cat had been spotted “strolling on residential gutters” on Wednesday night.

Photos taken after the fire brigade’s arrival captured the panther making itself at home above ground, perching on building ledges and pacing outside a closed window.

After firefighters secured a precautionary perimeter, the curious cat burglar slipped inside a house and workers trapped it.

The animal was put to sleep with a drug dart and put in a cage. It wasn’t clear where the panther came from or if it had escaped from a zoo.