Qatar commuters startled as escaped tiger appears on Doha motorway Published duration 8 March 2016

image copyright Reuters image caption Not your average Doha commuter

Commuters on a motorway in Qatar's capital, Doha, were astonished to see an escaped tiger on the loose and walking through three lanes of traffic.

Photographs and videos posted on social media showed the confused animal apparently trying to get off the road after falling out the back of a lorry.

The tiger had a chain around its neck and appeared to be someone's pet.

The tiger was eventually recaptured, and four men were reportedly spotted bundling it back into the lorry.

One video posted on Facebook showed the animal falling out of the back door of lorry that was driving down the Doha Expressway before running off.

Another video published on Twitter saw the tiger later making its way past cars stuck in heavy traffic.

Footage of the animal finally being recaptured was posted by the al-Watan newspaper.

Twitter users said the incident took place on Tuesday morning, but this could not be confirmed.

It is not clear who owns the tiger, but wealthy individuals in Qatar are believed to keep the animals as pets.

Columnist Sultan Al-Qassemi tweeted: "This obsession of keeping wild animals by rich kids in the Gulf has gone too far."