A farmer in northern China had a lucky escape after a rare Siberian tiger tried to ram down the iron gate of his home.
Footage shows the man opening the gate to look outside before spotting a growling tiger sprinting towards him at about 6.10am on Monday.
The animal hurls itself at the locked gate, smashing it off its hinges as the man sprints across a courtyard full of maize to his front door.
Video of the incident on Monday in Changtai, a village in the China’s snow-capped Heilongjiang province, has gone viral on Chinese social media.
While the farmer in the clip escaped with his life, China Daily reported that the tiger bit a villager’s hand not long after wandering into the village at 6am.
The man, 65, had been feeding cattle in a field when he was knocked to the ground by the big cat.
He had to undergo surgery having suffered a fracture in his left hand.
One witness has claimed there are at least two tigers in the village in Boli county.
Siberian tigers are the largest species of cat in the world, typically measuring 11 feet in length and weighing 320kg. Known for their reclusive natures, they are often found in northeast China and in far-eastern Russia.
County officials have still not tracked down the tiger, news outlets on the Chinese social media platform Weibo reported.
Drones and thermal imaging cameras are scouring the village while locals have been told to stay inside.
After it snowed yesterday, officials have urged villagers to keep an eye out for paw prints and tiger droppings.
Liu Dan, chief engineer of the China Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Center in Hailin City, told local media that the tiger gas likely ‘not gone far and is still active near the scene of the incident’.
If found, the cat won’t be killed unless it poses an immediate threat to human safety.
Siberian tigers are considered endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, with only 400 thought to be left in the wild.
Several neighbouring counties including Mishan, Huanan and Jidong have all issued alerts about tigers prowling around human settlements.
People are advised not to go into the mountains where the tigers typically inhabit and to strengthen protections for their livestock.
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