Residents near Pengkalan Gawi, Kenyir Lake, are alarmed after a black panther was spotted, prompting safety measures among workers
KUALA BERANG: Residents near Pengkalan Gawi, Kenyir Lake, have been left alarmed after a black panther was spotted in the area.
Khairul Afzan Hakimi Abdullah, 40, from Kampung Basung, said he caught sight of the animal while on duty at a petrol station on Saturday night, forcing him to use a car instead of a motorcycle when travelling due to safety concerns.
“I saw the animal wandering around 10 metres from the petrol station. I was terrified, but it showed no signs of aggression before disappearing from the area,” he said today.
Khairul Afzan Hakimi said the encounter was his first sighting of the animal in four years of working at the petrol station, where he commutes five kilometres each day.
Abdul Ghani Rahman, 50, an eatery worker, said he and a colleague spotted the wild animal while returning from work last Sunday, adding that he believed it had strayed from the nearby forest reserve.
“Following the viral video, officers from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) visited the area to obtain information from residents. According to them, the animal may have lost its way before returning to the wild,” he said.
A 20-second video clip circulated widely on social media, showing a black panther lying by the roadside along a major road near Kenyir Lake.
