SEREMBAN, May 20 — An adult male panther weighing 40kg died after being hit by a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) at Kilometre (KM) 19, Jalan Seremban-Simpang Pertang, near Bukit Tangga, here this afternoon.

Jelebu district police chief DSP Maslan Udin said a Honda Odyssey MPV driven by a 38-year-old man with his family was travelling from Seremban to Kuala Klawang when the incident occurred at 2pm.

"As the vehicle was making a right turn down the hill, a panther suddenly crossed from the right side of the road, causing the man to hit the animal as he had no time to swerve.

"As a result, the panther managed to make its way to a nearby drain about four metres away but died at that location. The man and his family did not suffer any injuries,” he said in a statement here today.

He said the panther’s remains were handed over to the Negeri Sembilan Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks (Perhilitan) for further action.

Some videos of the incident had gone viral on social media earlier in the day. — Bernama