A wild tiger was spotted wandering at the Yaluhe farm in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province Tuesday. This was the first time a wild tiger wandered on the farm since it was created. 

Mao Lijie, a rice farmer, came across the tiger at around 5:30 p.m. together with his son. He was shocked by the tiger because it was only at a distance of five to six meters. 

"We were shocked at the sight of the tiger. Then a truck ran by, the tiger seemed frightened, and walked into the roadside ditch," said Mao. His son then quickly shot a short clip of the tiger with his cellphone.

According to Mao, the tiger was about two and a half meters long. It roamed back into the woods and disappeared after another car passed by. Mao then called the police. 

Given the video is too short, the local police and forestry staff couldn't tell the exact species of the tiger.  At the scene, the tiger left more than 20 footprints, each 15 centimeters long, 15 centimeters wide, and at a depth of three centimeters. Based on these footprints, the forestry staff inferred that it was an adult tiger.

Wild tigers usually roam about at a range of 1,000 square kilometers, but they don't often go to populated areas. Cases of tiger attacks are rare and more prone to happen when the female is pregnant or they are frightened.

The farm has warned nearby people to be alert. The local forestry department has used drones to try to locate the tiger and patrolled at night to protect the safety of both people and wild animals.

(Cover image via VCG. With input from Xinhua.)

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