A zoo has found itself in the spotlight of social media platforms after visitors took to mocking a chubby leopard lazily lying in its enclosure.

Smartphone footage captured at the Panzhihua Park in the city of Panzhihua, in China’s south-western province of Sichuan, showed the wild feline sitting calmly inside its cage and visibly panting on 5th March.

The videos of the chubby animal sparked a flurry of reactions from social media users on TikTok’s sister app for China, Douyin, who could not help but chuckle at the sight.

Other individuals, however, expressed genuine concerns about the leopard’s well-being, fearing that its excess weight could pose health risks.

Douyin user ‘Forget’ said: “It is really the fattest animal in Panzhihua Park. After visiting it so many times, no one can compare with it!”

Then user ‘Yingmeizi~ (even liked and blocked)’ commented: “Don’t be afraid of it, it can’t run.”

And ‘Obito’ added: “Panzhihua is indeed a holy place for health and wellness.”

A Panzhihua Park zoo keeper later took to social media and revealed that the animal had loose skin as a result of its elderly age.

They said: “He is old and fat, and his physical examination is normal.

“This kind of body is normal for older leopards, the fur is loose and makes it look fat.”