The mystery of an exotic cat on the loose has ended with a fatal pickup truck collision on Vancouver Island.

A serval cat had escaped its Sooke home on Saturday, its second bid for freedom since this summer, reported The Province. Servals are from Africa but have been domesticated in Canada.

A photo of the exotic pet strolling down a residential street made the rounds of social media on the weekend.

But the cat named Samson met an untimely end when it was apparently hit by a truck on Sunday.