This is the moment a Russian zookeeper pets and carries around a fearsome black panther like a domestic cat.

Yaroslav Goryanskiy Alexandrovich, 26, from Saint Petersburg, works as a zookeeper and shares clips of him bonding with animals, including the black panther, on social media.

Yaroslav told Clipzilla that he has always loved animals and that sparked his interest to work at a local zoo.

“I work at a zoo and I have to deal with different animals. Jaguars, cougars, lynxes, wolves, monkeys, foxes, goats, deer, and many more.”

Although he likes spending time with all of them, the black panther is a personal favourite, and the big cat is apparently very fond of Yaroslav as well.

Yaroslav said: “Nobody asked me to do it, it was my personal initiative. We are now very good friends.”

Yaroslav has shared videos of him petting, kissing, cuddling, and carrying the panther around.

Even though it looks very entertaining Yaroslav says that “it is dangerous if a person does not understand what he is dealing with”.

When asked whether he would like to have a panther as a pet at home, Yaroslav answered: “I am planning that for the future.”