Isle of Wight missing raccoons captured but two still at large

A second of four racoons that went missing from a zoo on the Isle of Wight has been captured.

Four 18-month-old female raccoons escaped from their enclosure at Amazon World, near Sandown, prompting a search.

The second racoon to be caught was found by staff at the top of the zoo’s parrot perches on Saturday evening.

Her sister had previously been captured within the zoo’s grounds shortly before midnight on Friday.

In a post on it’s Facebook page, the zoo said it was “ecstatic” that the second of the four escaped racoons had been caught.

It also confirmed that both captured animals would be put in an enclosure away from the public, alongside their sibling that did not escape.

The two other missing racoons remain at large – with the search set to continue “throughout the night”.

The search had been scaled down during daylight hours – when the raccoons are expected to go to sleep.

Head keeper Rachel Patrick had earlier urged locals to keep an eye out “in sheds and up trees” whilst speaking to BBC Radio Solent.

“The more eyes the better,” she said. “They’ll be hiding in any nook and cranny to go to sleep during the day.”

The captured racoons are two of five siblings that arrived at Amazon World three weeks ago. Four of them escaped.