A jaguar was shot dead during a parade with the Olympic torch in Brazil, a news report said yesterday.

The animal was shot by a soldier after it attacked him in the town of Manaus in the Amazon forest, according to the news website GloboEsporte.

The jaguar, named Juma, was the mascot of a nearby zoo and apparently escaped its handlers during the event on Monday.

The organisers of the Olympic Games in Rio said they regretted the killing of the jaguar. A news release quoted by GloboEsporte said it was a mistake to place a chained wild animal so close to the Olympic flame, a symbol of peace and unity of the peoples.

This will not be repeated during the Games, the organisers said.

The Olympics will be held Aug 5-21 in Rio.

- dpa