Bhopal, Jan 3 (Inditop.com) An alert was sounded in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh after a leopard caught in a trap laid by poachers managed to escape, forest officials said Sunday.

The leopard was caught in the trap in the jungles of Kannod near Panasi village in the district, 150 kms from here, they said.

However, some villagers spotted the feline struggling to free itself and informed forest authorities.

A rescue team was summoned from Indore as it was not possible to free the wild animal from the trap without tranquilising it. However, before the team could shoot the tranquilizing darts at the leopard, the animal managed to escape into the dense forest, the officials said.

“Two days have passed but the animal is still untraceable. We have sounded an alert and have asked the villagers not to venture alone in isolated areas,” Dewas Conservator of Forests Sanjay Shukla said.

Kannod forest is home to several wild animals including barking deer and sambhar, besides a few leopards.