This is the stripe me moment police find an endangered two-month-old Amur tiger cub living in an apartment with a man who claims he bought it from a seller in the street.

Police video footage of the raid in Kadiivka in Russian-occupied Ukraine, show the adorable cub perched on a sofa surrounded by debris and bits of chewed-up furniture.

Then as police gently grab it to take it away, the female cub lets out a distinctly disgruntled howl at the indignity of being stuffed into a pet carrier.

The flat owner, who has not been named, told police he has bought her from a man in the street in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, and then brought her home to live with him.

Amur, or Siberian, tigers are critically endangered and in their Russian Far East homeland there are reported to be fewer than 500 left in the wild.

The tiger is listed in the Russian Federation’s Red Book of endangered species, making any private trade or ownership illegal.

Irina Volk, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, said the resident had bought the cub illegally and had been keeping her inside his apartment.

In the wild the tiny big cat cub would grow to weigh around 450 lbs and measure around 122 inches from nose to tail.

Veterinary checks have shown the cub to be in good health and she will be kept at a wildlife park before experts can decide whether she should be raised and released into the wild.

Volk explained: "According to veterinarians, she is healthy and after being taken away by the police, she will temporarily live in a zoo corner at one of the parks."

Police have held the owner while they investigate illegal trafficking of an endangered wild animal, local media reported on 26th May.

If convicted he could face up to four years in prison and a RUB 1 million (GBP 9,200) fine.

Police are also trying to track down the person who sold the cub.

(MJ Leidig/newsX)