Alarming videos have emerged on social media showing a tiger on the loose in an ordinary suburban street in Texas.
Per New York Post, the big cat was spotted roaming around Ivy Wall Drive in Houston at approximately 8:00PM on Sunday, May 9.
Footage of the large animal was shared on Twitter by a passerby who witnessed the terrifying scene.
Clearly confused at what they saw, the social media user captioned the video: "Apparently there's a tiger loose on my parents' West Houston street?"
The short clip shows the Bengal tiger prowling around the suburbs, while an armed man attempts to evade it and escape in his pickup truck.
While pointing his gun at the cat, the man can be heard shouting in a state of panic to another person across the street: "Get the f*** back inside. F*** you and your f***ing tiger!"
No shots were fired during the clip.
Another video taken from a different angle shows a woman viewing the terrifying scene from her upstairs window.
The woman can be heard saying: "There is a freaking Bengal tiger roaming in this yard and this dude needs to be careful,” the woman says. "What the heck? Why is there a tiger?"
A different Twitter user living in the same area later took to social media to post several more snaps of the wild animal.
The local captioned the post: "So this happened a short while ago. Yeah, literal Tiger my neighborhood.
"Right after they brought it back inside they loaded it into an SUV and barreled out of their driveway over the lawn and fled from the police."
In a series of follow-up tweets, they added: "FYI The person with the gun is a friend, neighbor and an off-duty LEO who lives in the 'hood. He did an awesome job of controlling the situation.
"From what I heard from the neighborhood scuttlebutt, the guy left his gf at the house while he fled with the tiger in his SUV. [sic]"
According to Houston Chronicle, local residents contacted the police, who were told the tiger "had a collar around its neck."
The publication reports that the tiger was later corralled back inside a home and rushed away in its alleged owner's white Jeep Cherokee. The suspect fled before police arrived. No charges have been filed.
Speaking to KPRC 2, one neighbor said: "He came up to the tiger himself and leaned down and kissed the tiger, and then took him by his collar."
Other witnesses have claimed that this isn't the first time their neighbor was seen harboring exotic pets.
Wayne Pacelle, the president of Animal Wellness Action, has since said in a statement to KPRC 2: "Private citizens and emergency responders should not have to come face to face with a lion or a tiger in a crisis.
"These animals belong in the wild or in reputable sanctuaries or zoos and nowhere else. This epidemic of private ownership of these exotic animals must be put to a swift end before more animals die and more people are injured or killed."