This footage shows an endangered panther writhing in agony after it was fatally hit by a car on a road in Malaysia.

The poor animal can be seen with its hind legs apparently broken after it was hit by the car, with it seen crawling under a stopped lorry in a desperate bid to find shelter.

Two other videos show the panther lying motionless on the road, while the fourth piece of footage appears to show the injured animal in a ditch by the side of the road shortly before its death.

The incident took place in the western Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan on the afternoon of Saturday, 20th May.

Jelebu district police chief Maslan Udin said that the male weighing 40 kilogrammes (88 lbs) was hit at around 2pm by a car driven by an unnamed 38-year-old man who was travelling from Seremban to Kuala Klawang with his family.

The man was reportedly making a right turn down a slope on the road when the animal suddenly crossed in front of the vehicle, with the images quickly making the rounds on social media after being shared online.

The police chief said that the animal then made its way to the drain ditch by the side of the road before succumbing to its wounds.

He added that the driver and his family “did not suffer any injuries”.

The animal’s remains have been handed over to the Negeri Sembilan Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks as part of the investigation, as black panthers are protected under the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

Panthers are a type of leopard (Panthera pardus), which are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

They are considered endangered in Malaysia, according to local media.

One of their main threats in Malaysia is reportedly man-made structures that encroach on their natural habitat.