This is the bizarre moment when a leopard tried to knock the spots off an ambitious pet pooch outside his zoo enclosure.

Zoo Leopard Goes Wild For Pet Pooch 1 from News X on Vimeo.

The encounter happened at Zibo Zoo, Shandong Province, eastern China, when the corgi’s owner took it to the big cat area.

In phone footage shot by the dog’s owner – named Ms Han in local media – the pup has jumped up on a low wall for a better look.

But when one leopard sees the corgi, the big cat goes wild trying to reach it.

Standing on its hind legs it can be seen scraping frantically at the security glass screen trying to tear its way through as it bares its razor-sharp teeth.

Undaunted, the corgi responds by yapping at the leopard before jumping down from its perch.

Ms Han filmed another encounter between her pet and its close relatives when they stopped by the wolf enclosure.

The corgi once again sparked interest as it sat right by the glass, tempting the four curious wolves as they try to sniff out the visitor.

Ms Han later shared the videos on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.

Some netizens remarked that the dog might be frightened by the experience, to which Ms Han responded saying it has been in and out of the zoo many times before.

While others seemed intrigued by the idea of bringing one’s pet to the zoo, with one Douyin user asking: “Do dogs also need a ticket?”