State media said that a leopard attacked and injured a police officer in Ghaemshahr, a northern Iranian city, before being shot dead.

According to Moslem Ahangari, director of the Mazandaran provincial Environmental Protection Unit, the endangered big cat “was killed by two gunshots to save the life of the police officer.”

In addition, the officer’s condition was described as’stable’.

It had previously been reported that the leopard had “attacked and wounded a policeman before escaping into a garden,” according to the province’s environment protection spokesperson, Kamyar Valipur.

Following its capture, the leopard was transferred to a wildlife sanctuary, where it died of its gunshot wounds.

The leopard can be seen crouching on the street outside a bank in a video that has gone viral on social media. After a few seconds of panic, the animal leaps and runs.

According to the photographs, horrified residents can be seen yelling and fleeing in all directions.

An investigation by the province’s environment department is underway to determine if the animal was unlawfully housed in a local residence or whether it had entered the city from a forest.

The Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists Persian leopards as an endangered species.

Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Caucasus region are home to this Panthera subspecies. The natural population is estimated to be less than 1,000, with a further 200 in captivity.

According to Tehran’s daily newspaper, Hamshahri, several wild animals, including wolves and foxes, have been seen in urban areas in recent weeks.

According to the newspaper, two elderly people were attacked by wolves in the northwestern village of Khalkhal, where a bear was seen.

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