"The big cat had scaled a tree after freeing itself from a foot-trap laid by some poachers in the area under Bijawar forest range", Sub Divisional Officer Forest, S R Baraich told PTI.
Hearing its growls, villagers alerted forest sleuths who arrived at the spot to rescue the leopard in the distress.
"When the forest team led by a woman ranger Janki Yadav reached the spot and was standing under the tree, the panicked leopard jumped over her and later escaped in the forest area", Baraich said.
The ranger suffered minor injuries in the attack.
Forest officials have launched a search operation to ensure the animal remained in the forest area.
