A black panther (illustrative image).

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JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN / AFP

Since Tuesday, residents of the village of Ventas de Huelma, near Granada in Spain, must avoid going out at night.

After testimony claiming to have seen a black panther, the Spanish Civil Guard searches the area, supported by a helicopter.

A man said he saw the feline near his car on Tuesday in the village of Ventas de Huelma, near Granada and experts said he saw traces that could be those of a panther, the municipality said in a statement.

Several patrols supported by a helicopter with a thermal camera passed the area on Wednesday with a fine-tooth comb to find the animal which was seen by other people, added the town hall.

No proof

"This animal is very active at night and we cannot know how it can react, so avoid going out at night," she insisted in her press release. A spokesperson for the Civil Guard confirmed that agents were looking “A wild animal that residents have seen” near a village of around 600 souls, while stressing that they have no proof of the existence of the animal.

Police say no one in the area is known to own a panther.

For

El Pais

, it could be a "big cat".

This would not be a first: in March, residents reported the presence of a lion near Molina de Segura, in the region of Murcia, which ultimately turned out to be a large dog, some of the hairs had been shaved to make him look like a lion.

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