Lion swims half a kilometre down a creek in India

Cats aren't known for their affinity with the water, but video emerging from India over the weekend has captured an even rarer moment.

It shows an endangered Asiatic lion swimming about half a kilometre down a creek in the state of Gujarat on Saturday morning.

Watched on by nervous locals, the lion swam downstream towards the ocean until it reached the lighthouse in the town of Jafarabad, the Times of India reports.

Residents quickly called forest department officials who rushed to tranquilise the lion and move it back into the forest.

There are just 500 lions left in the wild in Asia, all within the one state in India.

Before being hunted to extinction, Asiatic lions had previously lived in Syria, Iran, Turkey, Palestine and the Arabian Peninsula.