A SEARCH for a big cat which escaped from Dartmoor Zoo last week continued to lead staff on a wild goose chase, as the Times went to print on Tuesday evening.

As a way of luring the lynx into a humane trap, staff at the zoo, at Sparkwell, planned to broadcast recordings of its mother across Dartmoor.

The Carpathian lynx, called Flaviu, was reported to have responded to the noises late on Sunday and zoo owner Benjamin Mee, said plans were being made to record a sample of its mother.

The two-year-old mammal arrived at the zoo on July 6 and was housed in an enclosure which had held lynx for eight years.

But when staff inspected the enclosure the following day, they found the lynx had fled through a four by six inch hole it had made in one of the boundary walls.

Police drones have since captured the animal on thermal imaging. Traps have been laid down by zoo staff but the lynx has so far evaded capture.

The public are asked to contact police if they see the animal.