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A bid to catch a rare red squirrel which went on the run from a wildlife sanctuary has suffered a sad ending.
The bushy-tailed rodent escaped from the Wildwood Trust in Herne Common during Storm Ciara on February 9 after high winds blew open an enclosure door.
It was not seen for some days, but was eventually discovered 10 miles away at the Maytree Nurseries garden centre in Dunkirk, feeding on nuts in bird feeders.
It was a thrill for staff to see the animal which was nearing extinction in the UK until new breeding programmes encouraged numbers to recover.
After being told the animal could be from Wildwood, they contacted the sanctuary who went to the nursery to lay a number of special traps.
But unfortunately the squirrel entered another type of trap which resulted in its leg being broken.
It was taken back to the sanctuary to be examined by a vet but unfortunately the animal had to be put down.
It is a sad loss to Wildwood, which has a thriving breeding programme of red squirrels, resulting in dozens being released into especially protected area on the Isle of Angelsey and Wales.
"Sadly, it has not been a good outcome," said Wildwood Trust director Peter Smith.
"The squirrel was caught with the best of intentions but the trap it went into was not the right type and it suffered a badly broken leg and had to be put it to sleep.
"If such circumstances were to arise again, I would only advise that we have the right expertise and equipment to trap animals and it should be left to us."
He added: "The squirrel enclosure has a big fence around it and we’ve redoubled efforts to make sure it’s fully escape-proof."
Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here
