Video footage has captured the incredible moment a tiger cub was spotted on a motorway in Qatar. A 20-second clip shows the animal running alongside stalled traffic on the Doha Expressway on Tuesday 8 March.

The incident was first reported by local media Doha News, who confirmed that the tiger was a "pet" as it appeared to have broken a chain attached to its collar. A Snapchat screenshot then shows an image of a local man having caught the tiger and holding him by a leash on the side of the motorway.

A video posted by media group Al Watan shows how the man bravely reached under a car to secure the leash onto the tiger and pull the animal out. He can then be seen petting the tiger's head affectionately. The video of the tiger rescue has also been shared a number of times on social media.

Qatar's Interior Ministry posted on Twitter: "We assure everyone that the authorities are following what has been circulating [on social media] regarding a tiger being seen in specific areas of the country."

Doha news reported that although it is illegal to keep wild animals as pets, it is not uncommon for residents to do so anyway. Lions, tigers and cheetahs are allegedly kept as pets by many households. In March 2015 a cheetah cub was captured by authorities after it escaped from its owner.

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