A RUNAWAY lynx remains at large with police reminding the public not to go near the nervous fugitive.

The be-whiskered beast is still reckoned to be in the area of the Sparkwell zoo he escaped from last Thursday.

The latest initiative to lure the elusive two-year-old cat back home is a recording of his mum.

Inquisitive members of the public have been told to steer clear of the area in the hope the escapee won’t be spooked.

A police spokesperson said: ‘Any activity in this area, such as trying to get photographs, runs the risk of alarming the animal and possibly making it move on and thus making it harder to find.

‘There is also a small risk that if alarmed the lynx could injure anyone who does not understand its potential behaviour in such circumstances.’

Zoo staff have set 25 humane traps baited with meat in the area where experts believe the animal is hiding.

A vet with a tranquiliser dart gun is available if required, but staff at the park are confident that hunger will make the lynx enter one of the traps.

The animal should not be approached.