Family issue appeal after pet ferrets stolen
AThey’re our family and you’ve taken them away Arielle Stone
FAMILY from Stoke Gifford have been left devastated after three of their beloved pet ferrets were stolen from their garden.
Arielle Stone and her family are offering a cash reward for the safe return of their animals - understood to be a male who has been recently castrated, his girlfriend, and another male who has sadly been separated from his brother.
The thieves - who were spotted by the family before running off - have been described as three young men, two in black outfits and one in a white Adidas tracksuit. They were wearing backpacks, believed to be carrying the animals.
The family has taken to Facebook to warn the young men that the ferrets are vulnerable and one aggressive, and due to their nature are “not useful for breeding or hunting,” so “no money can be made off them.”
Arielle - who lives down the road from her family and helps look after the ferrets - received a call from her mum shortly after the incident at around 10.30pm on Tuesday night last week, and rang the police.
“My mum had just gone to bed at about half nine, and all of a sudden my brother came running in saying the gates are open and there are three people outside,” said Arielle.
“My mum came running down, and saw the shed gate open and two of the enclosure doors had come off.
“Four were missing, but luckily we managed to find one.”
Arielle ran to her family home after hearing the news, and found the shed and other enclosures unlocked.
“She believes the young men would have stolen the family’s other pets if they hadn’t been seen first.”
Arielle has warned the animals are rescued and some are disabled.
“They’re not useful for breeding or hunting, we’re just trying to give them a nice life,” says Arielle.
“They’re our family and you’ve taken them away.”
And Arielle says one of the male ferrets has been separated from his brother who remains at their family home. “He’s now got no one, he’s alone.”
The family say it is a situation that has caused them a lot of stress, and has forced them to take extra precautions to ensure their home is safe.
“The first few nights we didn’t sleep, we were scared they would come back.
“We’re now having to spend so much money so we can feel secure again in our own home.”
Arielle, who suffers with depression and anxiety, says the ferrets “mean everything to her,” and has asked people to stop making jokes out of it and giving “false information.”
“Now I’m scared for the other ferrets,” she said.
The family are urging the young men to return their ferrets to a local vet.