Second racoon found after escaping from Isle of Wight zoo

A second of four racoons that escaped from a zoo on the Isle of Wight has been found unharmed.

Four female racoons got out of their compound at Amazon World Zoo Park in Sandown on Friday morning.

The first missing animal was caught at about 11pm on Friday in Newchurch, close to the zoo’s grounds.

The zoo announced on Saturday night it was “ecstatic” to have found a second escaped racoon near the venue’s parrot enclosures.

The zoo said in a social media post: “At 6.15pm we managed to trap her at the top of our parrot perches!

“She is now in an enclosure offshow (sic) and once checked over will be put in with her two sisters who are also offshow (one of her sister who didn’t escape the enclosure and the one we caught last night).

“We will continue our search through the night to locate the other 2 missing Raccoons.”

The zoo issued a “huge thank you to all the staff” for their “huge team effort” in trying to recover the four animals.

Since racoons are nocturnal, the majority of the rescue efforts have been taking place at night, with staff using tracker dogs and drones to try and locate the escaped animals.

Rachel Patrick, a head keeper at the zoo, said on Friday that members of the public should remain vigilant “especially from 4.30pm and through the night”.

She added: “Check your gardens, trees, hedgerows, and sheds just as if you were looking for a lost cat or dog.

“Please do not approach the animals. They are not aggressive normally but will be scared.”

The zoo has asked anyone who spots the racoons to take a picture if safe to do so, with any reports sent to the racoon hotline by phone, message or WhatsApp on 07956 194981.