Bulgaria is on high alert following the emergence of a video and footprints potentially belonging to a mysterious predator, believed to be a black panther.
The animal was reportedly spotted last Thursday evening in a park near Shumen, a city of about 80,000 residents in the northeast of the country.
Local authorities quickly formed a crisis team in collaboration with the police and forest services, and residents received phone alerts advising them to avoid the area.
Investigators have deployed drones equipped with thermal cameras, in addition to setting traps and bait, but these efforts have so far proved unsuccessful.
Experts have analysed the limited footage available and speculated that the feline could be a leopard.
Police suggest the animal might have escaped from a private zoo, noting that the illegal breeding of big cats is popular among some organised crime figures seeking to flaunt their wealth.
