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Agence France-Presse

A male leopard which injured five people in southern India earlier this month has escaped from a zoo, sparking a frantic search for the big cat.
The 45 kilogram feline squeezed out of the narrow bars of an iron cage at the Bannerghatta zoo in Bangalore city late Sunday, the chief wildlife warden of the state Ravi Ralph said.
“About 50 officials divided into six teams have been scouring for the leopard in and around the zoo and trying to trace where it has escaped by following its pug (paw) marks,” Ralph said.

He added an inquiry was underway to find out how the leopard managed to escape from captivity.
The zoo does not have CCTV cameras and officials were worried the leopard might have sneaked into an adjacent national park.
“Even in the cage, the feline was restless and appeared agitated. We are hoping to trap it again soon within the park limits, as it would not have gone too far,” Ralph said.
Earlier this month, the leopard hit the headlines after photos in Bangalore showed the animal prowling around a closed school and trying to maul forestry officials, a wildlife activist and others who came too close.

It was caught and caged after being trapped in a room with one tranquilliser shot through a wire-meshed ventilator in an operation that lasted nearly four hours.
Leopards number between 12,000 to 14,000 in India, according to a national survey released last year. They are increasingly venturing into populated areas as their habitats become depleted.
A leopard killed a five-year-old boy in the courtyard of his home in central India in 2014.
Video footage from Mumbai in 2013 showed a leopard creeping into an apartment block foyer and snatching a small dog.


Leopard that injured five in wild rampage at Indian school escapes from zoo

epa05149783 A photograph made available 08 February 2016 shows a leopard attacking a forest official at a school in Bangalore, India, 07 February 2016. A leopard that strayed into an empty school in south India injured three people before being captured in a 10-hour operation by local officials, police said. A conservationist and a wildlife official were mauled by the leopard, while a cameraman from a local television channel suffered injuries when he slipped while trying to get footage of the animal. EPA/SSTR

(FILES) In this photograph taken on February 7, 2016, an Indian man (L) with a tranquilizer gun looks on as a leopard attacks a man identified by Indian media as wildlife conservationist Sanjay Gubbi (R) at a private school on the outskirts of Bangalore. A leopard who recently attacked five people in southern India has escaped from a zoo, sparking a frantic search for the big cat, wildlife officials said February 15. The 100-pound feline squeezed out of the narrow grills of an iron cage at the Bannerghatta zoo in Bangalore city late February 15, the chief wildlife warden of the state Ravi Ralph said. Earlier this month, the leopard hit the headlines after photos showed him prowling around a closed school and trying to maul forestry officials. AFP PHOTO / STR / FILES

Indian officials from the Bannerghatta National Park inspect the enclosure at the animal rescue centre where a leopard, which was recently captured, was housed until it escaped, scaling a 20 ft enclosure fence, at the Bannerghatta National Park on February 15, 2016. A leopard who recently attacked five people in southern India has escaped from a zoo, sparking a frantic search for the big cat, wildlife officials said February 15. The 100-pound feline squeezed out of the narrow grills of an iron cage at the Bannerghatta zoo in Bangalore city late February 15, the chief wildlife warden of the state Ravi Ralph said. Earlier this month, the leopard hit the headlines after photos showed him prowling around a closed school and trying to maul forestry officials. AFP PHOTO / STR

The leopard attacked this man after it strayed into an empty school in Bangalore earlier this month. Photo: EPA

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