- Man spotted walking big cat on a lead in southwest Russian city of Samara
- Shocked onlooker filmed the scene while travelling in a passing car
- Some online commentators slammed owner for not putting muzzle on beast
Pedestrians cowered in fear when they spotted a man taking his pet TIGER for a walk in the centre of a Russian city.
Jaw-dropping footage shows the man walking his big cat on a lead in the city of Samara in southwest Russia.
A shocked onlooker filmed the scene while travelling in a passing car.
Tiger crossing: Jaw-dropping footage shows a man walking a big cat in Samara, Russia
A witness said: ‘It was a shock. It is rather scary to bump into a pedestrian walking a wild cat on a leash.’
Some people believe the man seen walking the beast could be the circus artist and animal trainer, Artur Bagdasarov.
Witness Andrey Usoltsev said: ‘This is Artur walking his pet. We were at his show in the circus. We enjoyed it, especially sitting on the first row.’
Professional at work? Some say the man could be the famous animal trainer, Artur Bagdasarov
Other pictures show the huge animal having a rest and lying down on a zebra crossing.
The tiger seemed to be calm, and no one was reported to have been hurt.
But one internet user slammed the owner for not using a muzzle on the animal.
‘Alexander Grishchenko’ said: ‘They have money to maintain a tiger, but they have no money for a muzzle.’
Paws for thought: The huge animal had a rest and lay down midway through crossing the road