A leopard was captured in a cage at a village in Jalpaiguri district on Sunday morning, becoming the third leopard that has been rescued from the area within one week.
The leopard was trapped at Kuthabari vilage under Angrabhasa-II panchayat in Nagrakata block of Jalpaiguri.
Himadri Debnath, the range officer of Binnaguri forest range, said a total of 12 leopards have been trapped in cages in the Nagrakata block since June last year.
The area had remained tense after a leopard dragged 13-year-old Karimul Haque from his home in Kuthabari and killed him last August.
Following the incident, forest officials had put up five cages in the locality, using goats as bait.
On Sunday morning, a leopard entered one of the cages while attempting to prey on the live bait. It was successfully trapped.
The leopard is currently under observation at the Lataguri Nature Interpretation Centre.
Debnath said it was an adult male.
Wildlife experts have flagged worries of dwindling forest cover, compelling leopards to go to human habitations for food.