A tiger cub sparked panic among residents when it wandered around their neighbourhood in Thailand.

The cub was spotted roaming a street in the Bang Pakong District of Chachoengsao province early morning on May 16.

Terrified locals, fearing the cub's mum was nearby, retreated into their homes and called police and wildlife officials for help.

Police Captain Pongphop Kudhom of the Bang Pakong Police Station said they received a report at 3:30 am. They went to the residential area and found the tiger resting in front of a house.

The wild animal began playing with the animal rescuers as they tried to lure it into an open area.

Video shows the cub pouncing and nibbling on the officers' leg during the pursuit. They covered its head with a towel as it became increasingly aggressive.

The cub was later captured and hauled into a pickup truck to be transported to the Protected Areas Regional Office 2.

A resident, Chayanan Kongsuwan, 21, said: 'I was riding my motorcycle to take my friend back to his house when we noticed the baby tiger standing in the middle of the road. At first, we thought it was a dog.

'When we got closer, we saw its stripes and realised it was a tiger. We rushed indoors because we didn't know where its mum was, but the cub followed us back home.'