These shocking images reportedly show an endangered jaguar being skinned after it was illegally hunted by poachers in Mexico.

The incident took place in the municipality of Palizada in the south-eastern Mexican state of Campeche, and the images caused outrage after they were shared online.

The images show an apparently dead jaguar being skinned by at least three people after it was allegedly illegally hunted and killed.

A complaint was filed by Facebook users with the local Attorney General’s Office, and the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) launched an investigation in the area alongside the National Guard (GN).

Several social media users reportedly reacted with outrage when the images surfaced online and complained to the authorities on social media, prompting the investigation.

PROFEPA reportedly confirmed it had located and investigated the premises where the jaguar was skinned, but it is currently unclear if any arrests were made.

The incident reportedly took place in the community of El Juncal, according to the authorities.

While jaguars (Panthera onca) are listed as ‘near-threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they are categorised in Mexico as “in danger of extinction and protected by federal authority”.

It is currently unclear if the person or people who hunted the protected animal and those who helped to skin it have been apprehended.

The police investigation into the illegal killing is ongoing.