Workers plea over stolen duckling
Last updated 19th Jul 2018
Its now been four days since since a Mandarin duckling was taken from inside the Duckery at Castle Espie.
The new ducklings were released on the site on Monday morning, but when workers came round in the evening to fed them, they were shocked to find it was missing.
The East Asian species is very valuable and can be sold at a high price of around £600, according to the bird sanctuary.
The duckling requires a speical diet, so workers are pleading for its safe return.
Their Aviculture warden, Kes Armstrong, says they've been left devasted by the whole ordeal.
She said: "We are all really upset. We hand rare all the birds at Castle Espie, and we've been with this ducking from it was a ball of cells right up to its hatching, hand rearing it inside until its old enough to to get out into the public.
"Obvisouly we put our hearts into every bird we rare here, so it really was a very upsetting afternoon."
Kes says they won't be angry or shout at anyone, they just want the safe return of the duckling.
"Our main concern is the welfare of the duckling. They require a special diet at this young age so they can develop and grow out their feathers. Ducks can't eat bread - its not good for them. So we really just want the bird back so we can take care of it and give it the care it needs at this crucial stage."
A PSNI spokesperson said: "I would appeal to anyone who was at Castle Espie between these times yesterday and saw any suspicious activity, or anyone who knows anything about this to get in touch.
"I would also ask anyone who is offered a Mandarin duckling for sale in suspicious circumstances to contact us."