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Police are hunting a lynx which escaped from a zoo after it chewed its way out of his enclosure.

Helicopters have joined the search to find Flaviu, a two-year-old Carpathian lynx, after he was reported missing from Dartmoor Zoological Park, near Plymouth, on Thursday.

The wild cat arrived in Devon on Wednesday from Port Lympne in Kent but is now on the loose after it chewed through a board in the wall and escaped.

Around 30 staff and volunteers began a search of the zoo but found no trace, leading police to be called to carry out a wider comb.

Devon and Cornwall police have warned people not to approach the grey coloured animal and to call 999 if it is spotted.

A spokesman said: “The animal should not be approached as it could become dangerous if alarmed or cornered.”

"Officers have visited two local schools to offer safety advice and reassurance.

"All children at All Saints Primary School are not in school as they are away on a field trip.

"Police are also working with staff at Little Orchard Montessori School to make sure they are kept inside.

"Officers are also going house-to-house in the area to offer advice and are assisting with the search on the ground.

A zoo spokesman said the cat, about the same size as a Labrador, is “timid” and likely to stay away from people.

He said “The house into which he was released has successfully held lynx for eight years, however he managed to escape by chewing through a board in the wall of the house.

“This was discovered at 10am this morning when keepers came to release him.

"A search party immediately set out and quickly established that it was extremely unlikely for the lynx to still be on site and the local police and Radio Devon were informed at 10.20am.

"Our main concerns now are for the safety of the public and for the welfare of Flaviu.

"He is extremely timid and his instinct will be to stay away from people, so we are asking the public to be vigilant and inform the police on 999 if they see him."

Carpathian lynx, otherwise known as Eurasian lynx, are solitary and secretive animals which live naturally in forests in Europe and Siberia.

They mainly prey on hoofed mammals such as deer, as well as hares, rabbits, rodents and grouse.