A villager allegedly kept a tigress chained to a shed like a guard dog for three years.

Valeriy Grivennyi allegedly bought the female tiger from a poacher and named her Laura before shipping her to his property in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, in 2021.

The alleged animal abuser confined Laura in his rubbish-strewn yard, allegedly beating her almost daily in an attempt to tame her.

However, neighbours finally reported Valeriy to the authorities, leading to a raid on his property.

Footage shows the uneasy Laura pacing back and forth while chained to the wall, her movements restricted by metal links when officers found her.

She was sedated and wrapped in a cloth before being carried out of her abuser's yard in October last year.

One of the officers who rescued Laura said: 'We decided to seize the tigress and transfer her to a specialised institution for further care.'

Before the raid, Valeriy allegedly tried to flee his home with Laura bundled up in the back of his car, but authorities caught up to him.

Laura was taken to her new home in Leningrad's Tiger House where she was given a new name, Silva.

Her caretakers said the tigress began to eat properly and became more cheerful in the shelter.

Valeriy was fined 2,500 RUB (23.11 GBP) while being charged with animal cruelty.

In Russia, animal cruelty is punishable with a fine of 80,000 RUB (739.45 GBP) and imprisonment for up to three years.

(1 RUB=0.0092 GBP)