This is the heart-stopping moment an endangered black panther wandered by a tourist’s car in Thailand.

The Indochinese black leopard was drinking water on a puddle when a sedan passed by on a road inside Kaen Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi province, on May 4.

Upon spotting the vehicle, the curious animal turned to inspect it from a distance apparently to check for danger.

Footage shows the rarely-seen creature eyeing a tourist’s car on a dirt road while walking majestically about 15ft away behind.

Driver Faikham said she was both excited and nervous when she saw the black panther for the first time.

She said: ‘It was the first time that I drove through the park. There was a sign that warned about seeing wild animals and elephants.

‘I drove slowly to avoid making disturbing noises and appreciate the surroundings. It was a great time. Then I saw the black panther. I was in awe and in shock at the same time. I was excited and nervous.

‘We slowed down the car to get a proper look and discovered it was a black panther. I had goosebumps..’

The nature lover slowed down her car and pulled over to avoid scaring the animal before checking her windows and door for locks. She let the black panther move check her out from a distance until it felt safe enough.

Faikham added: ‘The black panther might have been scared of my strange looking car. It was like a king when it first saw me, so authoritative and careful. But once it felt safe, it turned into a cuddly, big cat, rolling on the grass!’

After lingering for a little while, the black panther disappeared back into the forest and the tourist continued to drive her car. She informed park rangers at the checkpoint about the black panther sighting and they told her she was very lucky because the black cats were extremely rare.

Indochinese black leopard have an estimated population of only 200 left in the wild in Thailand making it to the critically endangered red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to poaching and hunting. The species had reportedly been poached to near extinction which is why a Thai billionaire made headlines when he was caught hunting one and cooking it on a campfire inside a national park.