Forest personnel of the Raighar Range under Nabarangpur Forest Division seized a leopard hide from Birpur village in the district on Tuesday night.
A squad raided the village while a deal was being struck between the wildlife smugglers and some locals.
But taking advantage of heavy rains the smugglers and the customers fled from the spot into a nearby forest, leaving behind the tiger skin.
The smugglers are natives of neighbouring Chhattisgarh. A case has been registered under the Wildlife Act and investigations are on to nab the offenders, a forest official said.