A man – struck by the sight of a rooster – was in for a surprise when he got stuck inside a cage, meant to catch a wandering leopard. The cage (with the rooster) was set up by the officials as bait for the big cat that had been reportedly roaming in the wilds of Basendua village in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr. While the efforts failed to draw the leopard inside, it was more than enticing for a man who walked right in to fetch the rooster, unaware that he would not be able to escape the cage after and, subsequently, become the talk of the town. He was, however, released immediately, according to officials.

"We received information about a leopard. We looked for it on farms, along with our staff. When we couldn't find it, we set up a cage. There was a rooster in the cage and when the man entered and caught the rooster, the cage got shut. He was freed almost immediately," news agency ANI quoted a forest department official.

A clip of the now-viral video captures the man's misery inside the cage and shows him kneeling on his knees as the camera tries to get a better view of his ordeal. The man is also reluctant to reveal his name to those outside eager to know his identity. The moment also triggers giggles from the officials who had come to free him, as can be heard in the video tweeted by ANI.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: A man got stuck in a cage, installed to nab a leopard, in Basendua village of Bulandshahr dist. Forest Dept says that the man had entered the cage to get a rooster that was kept there as bait for the leopard.

(Video: viral video confirmed by Forest Dept) pic.twitter.com/8ujj23I2AO

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) February 24, 2023