Escaped exotic creatures in Dorset through the years

Gerry the golden eagle, who belongs to Liberty’s Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre, went missing on July 28 and had bitten off his tracker.

After six days of being at large, he finally returned home safe and well.

To celebrate Gerry's return, the Echo looks back at escaped creatures in Dorset's past.

Spider – July 2006

Staff had the shock of their lives when they spotted a huge tropical tarantula scuttling across their office floor.

The horrified employees were confronted by the spider after it emerged from under a machine.

 

One of them managed to capture the huge spider by scooping it up in a beer glass and transferring it to an empty aquarium.

Staff at the firm were preparing to pack up for the day when they spied the spider.

Staff at the Natural History Museum in London said the tarantula was almost certainly an escaped pet.

Snake – March 2009

An amorous snake forced his way out of his tank in a bid to find a girlfriend.

But when he discovered he couldn’t get into the girls’ tank below, he escaped out of the letterbox.

Trio the California king snake went on the loose in Charminster, Bournemouth.

 

Although he looked pretty scary, the three-and-a-half feet black and white snake is harmless.

Owner Phil Bennett thought he was most likely to be found sunbathing and asked the public to contact him or the police if they saw him.

Trio, a rescue snake, had only lived with Phil at his home in Chigwell Road for two weeks but when female snakes kept in the same room came into season, he managed to push his way out of the lid of his tank.

Monkey – March 2013

A student claimed to have seen a monkey on the loose in Dorchester.

Terri Leigh Cox, 17, captured a photo of the mystery creature from her window in Fordington.

She claimed the ‘monkey’ scampered across Salisbury Fields and up a tree.

 

The expectant mother, who was studying health and social care at Weymouth College, said that despite initial doubt from her family and friends, everyone who had seen the image admitted that it looked like a monkey.

Many residents and dog walkers were shocked at the alleged sighting.

Miss Cox, who was eight months pregnant at the time, said she would be keeping her eyes peeled for a second sighting of the primate.

The park in Dorchester, Dorset, is only 10 miles away from the popular Monkey World in Wool, but staff there insisted all its animals were accounted for.

Rhea – January 2015

AN ostrich-like bird, which was discovered on the loose in East Dorset, was reunited with its owner.

The stray rhea, called Kevin, was found on farmland in West Moors by the RSPCA, trapped between two lines of fencing. The owner had been looking for the large bird after a dog had chased it, driving it to run a mile away from its home.

 

After being herded to safety, it was held on the farm until the owner was identified.

The farmer's wife initially thought the rhea was a birthday present bought for her by her husband. Kevin's owner, upon hearing this, gave her a bottle of champagne when returning the borrowed livestock trailer.

Snake – July 2021

A woman returned from the beach to find an unwelcome visitor slithering through her bedroom.

The Parkstone resident was shocked to have found a four-foot-long snake in her ground-floor flat.

 

The frightened resident thought the Burmese python, called Azael, was a belt but slammed the door shut when she realised what it was.

The resident said the owner apologised and collected the snake.

The owner of the snake had let it out to roam and had gone to take a shower, When he returned Azael had gone missing.