The Kaeng Krachan National Park chief has said that sightings of panthers on the way to Paneone Thung mountain in the park are not uncommon, because there are about ten of them in the area.
His remark was in response to a tourist who claimed to have spotted a panther strolling along a road leading to the Paneone Thung mountain on Wednesday and managed to record video of the big cat.
The tourist said that he thinks the panther might be sick, as it was walking slowly and was not bothered by passing vehicles.
The park chief, Mongkol Chaipakdee, said that the animal is fine and it came out of the woods to warm itself in sunlight, adding that the big cat is familiar with human beings.
He also said that park officials have set camera traps in the Paneone Thung area and, over the past ten years, have counted about ten panthers and leopards in and around the area.
Although the animal may look tame, he suggested that tourists do not leave their cars and refrain from using car horns to scare the cats away.