Leopards spotted in east China city after escaping from safari park
- Video footage of big cats prowling the streets and tea plantations of Hangzhou viewed more than 4 million times
- Animal park issues apology after earlier denying any of its animals were missing
The residents of an east China city were living in fear this week after discovering that leopards were roaming their neighbourhood.
Three big cats broke out of Hangzhou Safari Park in Zhejiang province some time over the past seven days, but until Saturday there had been no official announcement about the incident.
Most people made the frightening discovery only after watching footage of the animals shared on social media. In one clip, a leopard could be seen roaming through a tea plantation, while in a second, a beast was seen prowling the streets of a residential area.
It is not known if it was the same animal in the two clips, but the chilling footage had been viewed more than 4 million times as of Saturday afternoon.
According to the Fuyang district government, where the park is located, a team of animal experts and hunters was put together to look for the big cats after police were alerted to the matter on Friday night.