An escaped lynx has been found in a nearby wood and returned to its enclosure at Eindhoven Zoo after some seven days on the run.

The animal, which is just a year old, managed to make a hole in the fence of its enclosure and was at large for a week.

It was spotted in the wood just 800 metres from the zoo and a wildlife camera confirmed its presence. The zoo then put up trap cages, one of which captured the lynx just before midnight on Monday.

The lynx will be kept away from the public to recuperate from its adventure, a zoo spokesman said.

The lynx is a shy animal which avoids humans and is not dangerous to them. They live in the wild in much of Europe and are sometimes spotted close to the Dutch borders with Germany and Belgium