They shot dead the animal after pursuing it to its den. The incident was captured on video.

The district administration has so far not taken any action regarding the killing of the endangered species, but people on social media have expressed sorrow over the villagers’ act of killing the rare animal.

According to the local residents, the cheetah was known to attack their goats.

Cheetahs, famous for their tawny coats covered in black spots, are the world’s fastest land mammal. Although they typically prefer open grasslands, cheetahs live in a range of habitats across eastern and southern Africa.

“One subspecies, the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah, can only be found in Iran, and only a few hundred are believed to be left,” according to the National Geographic. But an International Society for Endangered Cats Canada blog said that the animal was found over the grasslands of India, Pakistan, Russia, and the Middle East also.

“There have been no sightings in Afghanistan since the 1950s, and a 2001 survey in Pakistan found no sign of the big cats,” it said.