On the run rhea captured
A Strathearn wildlife park has taken delivery of a slippery customer who was on the run for several weeks.
Concerned animal lovers, police, the SSPCA and Forestry Commission Scotland staff had been on the trail of two missing rheas in Lanarkshire, and finally caught up with one of them last week.
The large bird escaped from a smallholding in Wilsontown, Forth, and is now settling into life at Auchingarrich, near Comrie.
Officers from the Scottish SPCA stepped in and, with the help of a local farmer and members of the public, were able to capture the bird safely in Wilsontown.
Inspector Heather Lawson said:“The story of the stray rhea, first thought to be an ostrich, has caused a bit of a stir, with people regularly reporting sightings of it.
“I wasn’t sure how we would be able to catch it given the vast area of woodland it was on. However, with a stroke of luck a local farmer spotted the rhea in a field just off Tashieburn Road.
“The process was relatively straight forward and stress free and the rhea seems none the worse for its adventure.
“This was an example of partnership working between the Scottish SPCA, the Forestry Commission and helpful members of the public. We’re really pleased we have been able to catch him and that he will be able to spend his life at the wildlife park in the company of other rheas.”