A leopard has managed to escape from a cage in which it was kept at the Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI) in Assam on Friday morning.

Jorhat forest range neither officer Pankaj Kalita said that the cage was nor old and was in good condition. The incident has come as a surprise for the officials who had kept the cage there to catch more leopards who were frequently appearing in the residential areas.

The cage was able two hold two big cats at RFRI campus at Sotai in the last 11 days. The leopard broke a joint of an iron rod and bent it to escape in the early morning hours. Some officials said they heard growling of the animal in the morning.

When officials came to inspect the cage in the morning they were shocked to see it empty with once cross bar bent. Kalita said that the welding was done on the rod sometime back and probably broke when leopard hit it with its head.

The officials said that a new cage will be set at the campus. The officials said that it was fortunate that the leopard did not break away when people were present at watch it in the cage.